Assassin's Creed: Faith
by NanoBlade
Summary: Asgeir, the bastard brother of Queen Elsa and Princess Anna, is an Assassin. Bound to a Creed as old as the realms, he will stand against forces that threaten the future of Arendelle, and possibly every realm. Xover with Assassin's Creed along with the others.
1. Chapter 1: A Tale of Three Siblings

**A/N: I started this idea after I wrote Blood Runs Cold. My OC in that story, Asgeir, was one that I was fascinated by so much, that I wanted to come up with a version of him that was more forgiving and a more compassionate than the first version of him I wrote. This was what resulted in it. The fic plays parallel to the events of Season 4 of Once, along with flashbacks that fill in the 2 year gap between Frozen and the show, showing how Asgeir came in on Anna and Elsa's lives. It's not required to read Blood Runs Cold, but recommended to understand more about who Asgeir is as an OC. This also crosses over with Assassin's Creed, but not as much as Frozen and Once. Hope you enjoy.**

The Creed: The only rule I have learned to be true, and the only one I truly follow. Stay my blade from the flesh of the innocent. Hide in plain sight. Never compromise the Brotherhood. But I had much drastically different morals when I began my journey. When I was inducted, blood and steel seemed to be my only purpose in life, with compassion and sympathy far from my mind. But I learned over time that the Order had many other things that drove it forward besides hate and violence. Friendship, honor, bravery, love. But these lessons weren't taught to me by my brothers at arms. They were taught by my only living family: A queen, and a princess from the North. My name is Asgeir Daniel Swortssen. This is my story.

* * *

><p>Chapter 1: A Tale of Three Siblings<p>

After climbing out of the manhole, I closed it, and sprinted off. The manhole cover was on the roof of the castle. With every step I took, I could hear the clunk of the carved bricks beneath my feet. When I reached the edge of the roof, I stopped suddenly, looking out to the courtyard below.

Three guards were just leaving the garden below, leaving the blonde in the blue dress alone. She was sitting on one of the stone benches in the garden, looking down at one of the patches of flowers in the garden. I knew very well how much she enjoyed those quiet moments of isolation. Hell, I liked them too. Although she spent hers on the ground, and I spent mine precariously perched on high ledges overlooking the whole place around me.

An eagle swooped close to me as I closed my eyes. I outstretched my hands, and jumped, the eagle screeching.

I fell in a pile of cut flowers that would be taken to the ceremony. After taking a second to collect my bearings, I jumped out of the pile, and started over to her. I was soon less than a few feet away. I reached into my cloak in anticipation.

"We really need to stop meeting like this!"

I sat beside her. "How do you mean, Your Majesty?"

She looked at me, and then up towards the roof where I was just standing at. "I mean, are you trying to compensate for something?"

I shrugged. "Always have to stay on guard, Your Majesty. You can never be too careful."

She shook her head. "And that's another thing, Asgeir. We really must quit this whole charade. How many times must I ask my own brother to call me Elsa?" She smiled as she said this.

I laughed. "At least once more, Your Majesty."

Elsa threw her arms around me in a hug as we both stood up. I felt a slight chill of reassurance. Then she beckoned me to start walking with her.

"I trust your trip went by successful? Four months away in the realms." She said as we walked through the garden.

I pulled the letter out of my hood that I had reached for, and handed it to her. It was a report of the efforts by my brothers.

"The Order and I have done what we can in the other kingdoms. You need not lose sleep over the affairs of us Assassins."

"It's not the goings on of the Templars that worries me. It's Anna's wedding."

"Then thank heaven I arrived today! When will the wedding be?"

"Five days from now. Anna will be glad to see you, Asgeir."

"We both know that that's an understatement." I smiled.

We both walked through the door to the hall.

Elsa nodded. "I'm hoping you will be there for the ceremony?"

I stopped suddenly. "I would be welcome there?"

Elsa looked back at me. "You are our brother, Asgeir. Half brother, yes, but you are the one person that Anna would want to be there aside from me and Olaf."

"Yeah, will the snowman be there? Because that would just look strange if I was walking down the aisle with him."

Elsa shook her head as we headed up the stairs to the bedrooms.

"If it's not too much trouble, I was actually thinking Anna might want to have you with her to walk her down. You should be the one to walk her down the aisle, as you are our brother."

I smiled. "I'll see what I can do, but that sounds fantastic."

Elsa knocked at Anna's door. "Anna?"

"Just a second!" Came the reply. "What is it? Can't it wait?"

I grinned. "Is that how you welcome your brother home?" I called.

The door swished open in a blink and I felt the wind get slammed out of me as Anna flung herself into a hug with me.

"Asgeir!" She cried. "You're home!"

I laughed. "Of course!" I said. "I couldn't miss my own half-sister's wedding."

Anna faced me. "Come now, Asgeir! You've always been our true brother in our eyes!"

I smiled. "And this brother is home now."

* * *

><p>Anna pressed me for every detail of where I had been. I held an important position in Arendelle's High Council, but I did much more work outside the kingdom. In fact, you'd barely find me working at a desk. I almost always sent spies and brothers-at-arms from various contact points as I completed contracts and missions.<p>

"There are true wonders out there in the other lands, Anna." I said over dinner. "I've seen many sights one could only dream of even getting a quick glimpse of, and I've collected treasures that could make even a god jealous."

"Tell me more! What kinds of lands are out there? Have you met any new people? What have you had to do out there?"

Elsa held up her hand. "Hang on, Anna. One question at a time."

Anna stopped, breathing heavily.

I smiled. "Take a minute, and I will explain. The lands I've seen are beyond count, and I can't even begin to describe what even one of them are like. I've met plenty of new people. Generally I've made friends with my contacts in the other Orders around the lands. And as for my missions, well, you know very well what it is that I do, and it's not a very light subject for discussion."

Anna nodded. "I can understand that this life isn't like what you have out there. I'm sorry."

I held a hand up. "Hey. I was an Assassin before I was your brother, and before I was given the seat at the council. The life I live? It's one that I chose, and wouldn't leave yet. Now, how goes the wedding plans?"

"Five days time!" Anna beamed. "You came at the perfect time, Asgeir."

Kai suddenly came into the great hall, and smiled when he saw me.

"Master Asgeir. Good to have you back after so long."

"Thank you, Kai. It's good to be back after months in the other lands."

Kai bowed. "Will you be staying long? I trust you're here for Princess Anna's wedding?"

"Yes, indeed. I'll be here for the week, then I have to get back to business. Rest is one luxury I don't ask for in my position."

Anna looked as though she might cry when I said "week". I often think that Anna looked up to me almost as often as Elsa. Although living life as an Assassin isn't being the best role model.

After Kai left, Anna spoke up. "Just a week? But you've been gone four months already!"

"You'd understand my life if you were out there with me, Anna. It's one that constantly has me traveling to the furthest lands and realms. I had to take down targets for three whole weeks just to clear up this week alone. It's a rough business."

"All the same, I wish you didn't have to go so soon."

I sighed. I could never say no to Anna. It was easier to kill every Grand Master in the Templar Order.

"I'll speak to Matthew. At best, if he says no to me, he won't say no to the princess of Arendelle."

* * *

><p>Nights are restless times for Assassins. You'd rarely see me sleep in an actual bed for most of my life. I mostly found myself out on the rooftop, overlooking the towns I stayed in.<p>

The Templars were out there. I knew that they always had, and always would. No matter how many we killed, another just as bad, or even worse would take his place. My spies told me that Hans was a prospect for the Order. They would be inducting him in soon. When that would happen, that would be my way of giving the go ahead to drop him. Hans tried to hurt my family, and then allied himself with the Templars. If he declared war on Arendelle, that would be the trifecta of offense to me, and he would barely have three seconds left to live.

"Trouble sleeping?"

I nearly fell off the roof in surprise as Elsa climbed up through the manhole in the attic's ceiling. For someone trained in the art of killing people in a discreet manner, I was easily caught off guard from that.

I sighed as Elsa sat down next to me. She wore a nightgown and her hair in a bun instead of her ice dress and braid. "When you live the life I do, sleep evades me as if it's afraid of me."

Elsa looked down to the town sadly. "I suffered from insomnia half of my childhood after the incident with Anna. I know the feeling."

"How did you know I was up here?" I asked.

"You do realize that you're standing two whole floors above my own room, right? You've always stood here doing that. The aurora is out, and the lights cast shadows. I could see the eagle's shadow."

I nodded. "Those who see the shadow rarely get two more seconds. It's rough out there. What can I do for you?"

"I need information. Hans."

I sighed. Elsa was always concerned with the Southern Isles. After Hans was imprisoned and sent back, his brothers cleared him of all charges. Now they were looming in the distance, and they were not alone. The Templars contacted them not long after The Great Freeze. They applauded Hans for his scheming, but his failing to get Arendelle's throne killed his chances of joining the Order. Four of his brothers had been inducted in the past two years, and Hans was becoming the next hopeful prospect. I needed to act quickly, but until then, I was just the Spymaster for Arendelle.

"Not good news, Elsa. The Southern Isles are throwing a festival, and my spies tell me that several high ranked members of the Templar Order will be there."

A few snowflakes appeared over Elsa's head. She looked up at them, then shooed them away. "Is there any good news?"

"Yes." I replied. "Hans hasn't found his in yet with them. They respect his schemes, but don't trust him yet."

"Can I ask for an assassination on him?" She asked.

I stared. Elsa was a gentle soul. She wouldn't purposely hurt a fly, let alone a person. But I would slaughter as many Templars as I felt, and she knew it.

I shook my head. "It's not that simple. The Templars always seem to be two steps ahead. If I were to kill an inductee before he was even given his position, it would throw both Orders into chaos. It's all about timing in the Order."

"I will pay you." Said Elsa. "Please."

I shook my head. "I'm no longer saying no to my Queen, I'm saying no to my younger sister. I will not kill Hans yet. But you won't need to pay me when the time comes. When I decide it, I will gladly see that his life slips away."

* * *

><p>The next morning Kai left me a note. It said that Anna wanted me in the stables as soon as possible to help taking care of Sven. Kristoff was off visiting Grand Pabbie and the trolls for the day, so Anna needed to do it herself. It made me proud to see that Anna didn't mind getting her hands dirty instead of sending servants to do it for her. I encountered several bratty noblewomen who couldn't so much as think about doing servants work without drastically scrubbing their hands.<p>

After getting dressed, and pulling my hood up, I headed down to the stables. As I walked in, the only animal in there grunted at me in a welcome manner. Anna was nowhere to be seen.

"Hello Sven." I said, smiling. "Seen Anna?"

Sven didn't respond for a second, then grunted lowly. No, he meant.

I suddenly felt it. The Sight going off. An ability used by some in the Order, I could easily tell when someone would be coming out to gut me. An itch on my back, right below and to the left of my neck.

"Haaaaah!"

I drew my blade in a flash, and held it up towards my attacker. Anna fell off, and landed gracefully. She was up in the hay loft and had tried to drop down on me from above.

She grinned. "Did I get you, Asgeir?"

I smiled. "At best you caught a well trained Black Knight, but not someone on my level of skill. That's good at least, as Black Knights are some of the toughest opponents I've fought. Well done, Anna. Been practicing, I see."

Anna spun her sword. It was made of wood, but durable enough to use with a steel blade like my own.

"I was the one who pushed you to teach me. I should show my commitment to it."

I smiled as Anna kneeled down, and picked up a bucket of carrots. She slipped it into Sven's pen, then jumped back as he drilled his head into the carrots.

"So I assume that you want to practice after we finish with Sven?" I said.

Anna shook her head. "Already did it. Cleaned the pen, brushed him, and as you can see, he's happy with his carrots."

With that, I sheathed my blade as we headed out. Anna had a special place that we used to train with.

About three months after I came to Arendelle, Anna asked that I teach her how to fight. She wanted to learn because she had heard stories about the Assassins and Templars. I tried my best to explain it to Anna without spooking her, but I knew that she wasn't afraid to begin with. Anna knew the Templars wanted her and Elsa's heads to hit the floor, but she still stood beside me. It was that threat from the Templars that drove me to finally step out of their shadows and stand beside them as their brother. Anna, I could tell, was not afraid of the Templars. Courage was one of her best areas. Elsa was more worried, mainly because she didn't want Anna to have a repeat of what happened with Hans. I assured her that it would not happen, and so Anna requested that I teach her how to fight.

We headed out to the courtyard and over to the ring. Many of the castle guards came here to blow off steam and practice. No one was there at the moment, so we both went in.

"So what to go over today, Asgeir?" Asked Anna.

I looked at her. "You tell me. You want me to teach you. What do you need practice in?"

Anna looked deep in thought. "I can't really tell. Can you think of something to do?"

I shrugged. "I say again, it's your lessons."

Anna held her sword tight, then got ready. She didn't move, clearly in thought. Then she smiled.

"Let's go, brother!"

When I lunged for Anna with a long sweeping strike, she didn't miss a beat. She blocked each of my hits in perfect form, then parried with her own good hits. Finally, we clashed.

"Nice work." I groaned as our sword pushed against each other.

"Thanks. Two hours at dawn, two at dusk every day." Strained Anna.

I jumped back. "Not bad. There can be better ways to pick up skill, but in my book, experience is key."

We practiced all day until sundown. Afterwards Elsa held a council meeting with myself and the other members. Nothing too big aside from regular business as usual reports.

Three days went by. I helped Anna with practicing, visited Olaf one day, and had those few precious days where I could finally breathe and not fight. The day before the wedding, I went out with Elsa and Anna to see someone else I hadn't seen in months.

* * *

><p>"...Anna they'd be so proud of you."<p>

"The three of us, Elsa." Anna said, glancing at me.

I just stood off to the side, looking at the grave on the left. Agdar left me for dead, and tried to slaughter the entire Order as part of his position in the Templars. I could never forgive him for what he did, no matter what Anna or Elsa could say to me.

I finally knelt down at Mother's headstone. She was different. She didn't want to be a part of this war, but her husband and first born became people on opposite sides of it nonetheless. "I want to make you proud, Mother. Please understand that I know I found a cause that is noble and true, no matter how much blood I spill."

As I stood up, Elsa smiled. "Now, c'mon." She said to Anna. "I have a surprise for you."

Anna smirked. "Really? Because surprises tend to be a hit or miss in this family."

I laughed a bit. "Amen." I said, thinking back to my own arrival in Arendelle almost two years ago.

Elsa smiled. "You'll like this one, I promise." Her smile grew as she took

Anna by the shoulders. "It's for your wedding."

* * *

><p>The three of us headed up the tall tower with Anna right behind Elsa and I. Anna kept guessing over and over again what it could be. Elsa already showed me what it was, and I knew it would be a good surprise for Anna.<p>

"It's an..." Anna said as Elsa opened the door. "...attic." She sounded a little underwhelmed.

"It is indeed." Beamed Elsa.

I headed in behind them, taking in the sight. Despite all the dust, it was neater than any attic I ever saw. At least I could walk freely in there, weapons on me and all, and not bump into anything. I walked over to a trunk, and flipped it open to old maps.

"So we're here because?" Said Anna.

Elsa walked over to a wardrobe. "Take a look." She said opening it.

Anna gaped at the sight of our Mother's old wedding dress.

"You found it!" She said.

Elsa gestured to it. "Go on."

Anna nervously approached it like a child and their first horse, or me when I first picked up a sword. She cautiously reached to touch it, but pulled back.

"I don't want to rip it." She said.

Elsa smiled. "Well, then you'll have to put it on carefully."

Anna gaped at Elsa, shocked. "You want me to wear it?!"

I sniggered at Elsa's expression.

"Of course you'd want me to wear it, why else would it be here?" Said Anna.

I smirked. "I should damn well hope you wear it, Anna. You'd look beautiful in it."

Elsa took the dress down, and placed it towards Anna, testing it.

"It's missing something." She said.

She raised her hand between her and Anna, a silver snowflake pendant now in her hand. Anna was stunned as Elsa put it around her neck.

"There. Something New to go with Something Borrowed."

Anna grinned. "It's gorgeous-I mean, enchanting-I mean, I love you!"

My sisters embraced while I dug around. Since I was here, maybe Agdar had a few secrets I could bring back to the Order. Although I couldn't help but grin when they both beckoned me for a group hug.

"I'd like to see that with the dress!" I said to Anna. She walked around to the curtained part of the attic to change.

"It's so beautiful! And soft!" She said. "You know I'm gonna spill something on it. Maybe only clear beverages at the wedding?"

I just rolled my eyes as I went back to digging through the trunk. Agdar must have thrown his journal up here. The Templars always had this compulsive need to write down their secrets. Made things too easy for me when I broke into various hideouts of theirs.

"So about the wedding." Said Elsa. "Tell me I don't have to walk down the aisle with Sven?"

"You're the queen, Elsa. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't resort to that." I said, not looking up from the trunk.

"Sven's not the best man!" Said Anna. "But he is invited."

"And now is where you tell me your joking."

"He's going to be properly attired."

"Do they even have that for reindeer?" I said. "I'll have seen it all if I see a reindeer in a tux."

"I'm more concerned with the groom." Said Elsa.

"Elsa, he knows what to wear. It's not like he grew up in a barn."

I glanced at Anna. "Really?" I said, sarcastically.

Anna nodded. "Fine. Yes, he lived in one for a while, but he grew up with trolls. Wait until you see him. He even cut his hair."

I stood up from the trunk. Nothing in it. I'd check back later. "You know the sentence 'being raised by trolls' isn't meant to mean 'raised with class'." I said over to Anna.

"Not bridge trolls, Asgeir. Rock trolls."

"All the same, I'm not sure about Kristoff until I see it for myself."

Anna suddenly came out, a true sight. She looked just like-

"Mother Gerda!" I said. "You look wonderful!"

Anna beamed. "Aren't you a gentleman, Asgeir?" But then she looked behind me, and her smile faded. "Elsa? What's wrong?"

I turned, seeing a familiar sign: Elsa's distress reflected by the snowflakes above her head. She was reading what looked like a journal that she had taken from the desk behind her. I noticed the book I was looking for was right on that desk too: a small diary with the Red Cross emblazoning it.

"What is that?" Said Anna, approaching Elsa. "A diary?"

Elsa swallowed the lump in her throat. "Mother's" She simply said.

"Elsa?" I said. "What's in there?"

"...parents..." Said Elsa. She looked up from the diary, frozen tears in her eyes. "Their death...it's all my fault!"

She turned and ran out as Anna called for her. I quickly grabbed the Templar journal.

"Bloody hell..." I murmured. "Elsa!" I called with Anna as we headed down the stairs, following the trail of ice.

* * *

><p>We found Elsa sitting on a log, in the woods outside the town. She hadn't made it easy for us to find her. After she left the castle, the ice trail stopped, and I was left to use my Sight to help Anna find her.<p>

"Elsa!" Called Anna as we saw her, and approached her. The snowflakes hadn't receded from above her head. In fact, they had multiplied, implying that whatever horrid stuff Mother had written, it was too much for her.

"Please. I want to be alone." Said Elsa.

"You're our sister. You're never gonna be alone." Said Anna. Then she shook her head. "Other than when I'm not around, but even then I'll still be with you in spirit. But that doesn't matter because we're here now and you're not alone and- you know what I mean? It's a nice thing!"

Elsa was still crying. I pulled a handkerchief from my hood's pocket, and handed it to Elsa. She held it to her eyes, frost gathering on it. I sat down on the log beside her while Anna sat on the ground, possibly ruining Mother's dress.

"Elsa, what was in that book?" I asked.

"You can tell us anything." Said Anna.

Finally, Elsa nodded. "Turns out our parents didn't go off on some diplomatic mission like everyone thought. That was just a cover."

I didn't dare tell either sister that I was aware of this. While the Assassins knew the circumstances of the mission, we didn't know why they were leaving. And we didn't bother finding out because Agdar had his men in the Templars lock down the secrets of the mission up tight. Not even they knew where he was going with Mother.

Anna looked at Elsa with uncertainty. "For what?" She asked.

Elsa handed the diary to Anna. "Read it."

Anna read with dread as I placed my hand on Elsa's shoulder. "It's alright, Elsa." I said.

She nodded at me, and smiled a bit. "Thanks, Asgeir."

"'I wish I didn't have to hide the truth from our children. But the truth would be too painful." Read Anna. "'What we've seen from Elsa is terrifying, and it has to be stopped."

I scoffed, and stood up in anger. Destroy the thing that made Elsa special? It would be no different than what Agdar did to me. But what didn't add up was the mission itself: why would Agdar, with his position in the Templar Order, have Elsa's powers removed? The Templars wanted Elsa's magic under their control so that she could used as their weapon. Unless if they couldn't be controlled like they expected them to?

"They were scared of me." Said Elsa. "That's why they left. Because they thought I was a monster"

I shook my head. "To hell with that. We know who the real monsters in this family were, and you're not one them. I'm the only one."

Anna nodded with me. "I won't believe that! I refuse to believe that!"

"It's all right there." Said Elsa.

"Is it? Because it doesn't say where they were going, or what they were doing! It could be a misunderstanding!"

A mission like this? There was more to it than it appeared, but I was sensing something sinister with it.

"Anna, because of me they left. Because of me, we need Asgeir to walk you down the aisle tomorrow and not them."

"I'm standing right here, you know!"

Anna was at a loss for words. She just glanced at me and Elsa.

"I'm so sorry..." Said Elsa.

"You don't have be. It's not your fault!"

I nodded. "I said it before, I'll say it again: you're not a monster! Anna doesn't think so, this whole kingdom doesn't think so, and for sure Mother and Agdar didn't think so. Me? I know so."

Anna took Elsa by her hands, and stood up with her. "I will prove it!" She said. "This diary is only part of the story."

"How do you know that?" Said Elsa.

"Because...instinct?"

Elsa looked back at Anna with doubt at that statement.

"Okay, right, that's not enough, but there are more answers about what happened to them. I know it!"

Then she gasped out loud. "And I know who can help us find them!"

"Who?" Said Elsa.

"My future in-laws!"

* * *

><p>It was a short journey through the forest to the Valley of the Living Rock, but we got there. I was amazed at how Anna had kept the dress in good condition the whole trip.<p>

"Shouldn't you have changed out of it?" I asked Anna as we headed over, Elsa trailing behind us.

"Not a chance. It can wait."

I nodded as we approached the clearing.

Anna started checking each boulder as Elsa began protesting after spending the whole trip in silence.

"We shouldn't be here." She said.

"Oh, they're practically family." Replied Anna, checking another boulder.

"I meant you should be planning your wedding."

"It's tomorrow!" I said. "What other planning is there left to do?"

"Come on, Anna." Said Elsa. "You should rest. It's a special day. You should enjoy it."

"I can't if my sister's upset." She started calling for the Elder Troll. "Grand Pabbie? I know you're here. Why aren't you showing yourself! Grand Pabbie?"

There was still no response until I stuck my fingers in my mouth, and sent out an air piercing whistle like that of an eagle's screech. One of the boulders rolled right up, and revealed the short hairy creature.

"Goodness, Asgeir! You'd have woken the whole Valley with that whistle."

"Sorry." I replied. "You weren't responding to Anna."

He smiled. "Oh, it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding."

Anna sighed. "When have we ever been traditional?"

Grand Pabbie noticed how all three of us were there, meaning something was off. "What's wrong? Something happen? You have second thoughts? He won't smell like that forever."

Anna shook her head. "No, no. This isn't about Kristoff, it's about our parents."

She kneeled down and handed the diary to the troll. "What were they really doing on that voyage?"

Grand Pabbie shook his head as he took a look through it. "I'm sorry. I don't know."

I shook my head. That didn't sound right. A troll at a loss for wisdom on something like this. But it was enough for Elsa. She knelt down and reached for the diary.

"Thank you." She said as she took it. She glanced at us, and nodded off to the woods. "Come on. Let's go."

We turned to leave, but were suddenly stopped.

"Wait!" Said Grand Pabbie.

The three of us turned to him. Now he decided to say something.

"I may not know what they were doing, but I know where they were going."

"Days before their journey, your parents stopped by to say they were not going to the Northern Isles. And they had a few questions about a land called 'Misthaven'."

Misthaven! Of course! If there were any answers that they were looking for, they would be there. I had spent so many years there in service for the Assassins. It was a second home to me, behind Arendelle.

"What did they want there?" Said Elsa.

"They didn't say." Replied Grand Pabbie. "They, like many of us," he stared at Elsa as he said this, reminding us of the obvious. "Had their secrets."

The troll suddenly yawned. "Now, I need my beauty sleep." He rolled up, and went off.

"We have an answer!" Cried Anna with joy.

Elsa shook her head. "No, we have more questions."

I shrugged. "But we have one answer. We at least have a start."

Anna grinned at me. "See? Asgeir knows what we need to do: we have to go to Misthaven!"

"No, I can't leave." Said Elsa. "I'm still queen. I can't just abandon the kingdom."

Anna glanced quickly at me. She knew what I was thinking: I could leave no problem with my position as Spymaster and Assassin, unlike Elsa.

"You're just making excuses, Elsa!" Said Anna.

"Remember your last dalliance, Hans?" Said Elsa. "He and his twelve angry brothers are still waiting-"

I coughed.

Elsa then nodded. "Sorry. Eleven brothers are still waiting to pounce at the first moment of weakness. They're not overly fond of our own brother ever since they last came here."

"Okay. Good excuses, but still." Said Anna. "Let me go alone. Give me two weeks. Misthaven is a short journey. Two weeks, and I'll be right back."

Elsa's response easily put a pin in that idea: "That's just what our parents said."

* * *

><p>I knew that Anna wouldn't let this go as easily as Elsa could. That wasn't her motto. When I couldn't find her around the castle in the usual places after the hour we returned, I knew exactly where I could find her as the last place to look. I rushed to her room.<p>

I knocked a couple times on the door. "Anna? You in there?" I called.

No reply, but I heard the squeak of a boot behind the door.

I rolled my eyes. "This is what she gets for having me as a brother."

I jumped high, grabbing the edge of the open transom over the door. Then I pulled myself up, and slipped through.

Anna shrieked as I went in. She was packing a bag, but I had surprised her enough to make her jump and reach for her belt as if she had a sword.

"Don't do that, Asgeir!" She snapped. "I could have needed that privacy. For all you know, I was changing!"

I put a finger to my mouth to hush her. Someone could have heard her shriek, and think I was in there as an Assassin. "What's the bag for?" I said.

Anna didn't bother to lie. She just gave me a look. "You know very well what."

I groaned. "Misthaven? Anna, you're getting married tomorrow! There will be plenty of time to do this after the wedding!"

"I can't just get married like this, Asgeir. I'm going alone to Misthaven to find what our parents died for."

"Now that I can't bloody well let you do." I said. "Misthaven holds some of the most fearsome creatures in all the realms from bridge trolls to dragons, unlike anything here. Even Marshmallow is tame to some of these creatures. Can you really expect to even make it five minutes out there?"

"You can't stop me, Asgeir. I know you want the same for Elsa; for her to have her questions answered. I'm going and that's final."

I folded my arms. "Anna, as your brother, I forbid you to go-"

"You may be my brother, but I make my own choices!" Snapped Anna.

I sighed. "Let me finish." I said.

Anna stopped shoving clothes into the bag and put her hands on her hips. "What, then?"

"Misthaven is a dangerous place. Right now they are at the mercy of a ruthless queen and outlaws are running loose. You need a guide. Someone who knows the terrain, and the territory. I forbid you to go there without me."

Anna stood back. "What do you mean?"

I sighed. "You're absolutely right: I can't stop you from going, but I also know you need an escort. I see no one else better suited for the task than myself. I've been to Misthaven plenty before on missions and at meetings with the other wings of the Order stationed over there. I have experience there, and can watch your back there."

Anna placed our mother's journal into the bag. "You'll help me with this?"

"Well, I know that there is no possible way I can stop you. After all, I know you. But more importantly, you're the reason I came home so early, and so you're the reason I need to leave."

"And there's no way I can stop you from going with me?"

I smiled, then in my best imitation of her, said "I'm going and that's final!"

Anna rolled her eyes, then pulled her bag over her shoulder.

"Doesn't the Council need you here? Or the Brotherhood? You hold the position of Spymaster of Arendelle."

I shook my head. "I may belong to the Arendelle Assassin Order, but I also hold a position that gives me privileges. I can come and go as I please. But we will need to make one quick stop before we leave."

Anna nodded. "Make it two: I should at least let my own fiancée know about this."

I smiled. Leave it to Anna to forget something that important.

* * *

><p>We found Kristoff in the stables with Sven. He thanked us for cleaning his stall the other day, and then got down to brass tax.<p>

"This must be important if the Spymaster is with you, Anna." He nodded to me.

Anna pulled out the journal, and gave it to him. "This was my mother's, Kristoff. It turns out that my parents weren't on some sort of diplomatic mission. They were on the journey because of Elsa."

Kristoff looked up from the journal. "They were afraid of her?"

I shook my head. "Anna doesn't believe so, and neither do I. There must be more to it than this.

Then Kristoff's face lit up with understanding. "We're not getting married tomorrow, are we Anna?"

Anna looked at him with sadness. "I'm sorry, Kristoff. I can't just forget this and move on. I need to go off and do this."

Kristoff sighed. "Let me guess again. You need me to go with you?"

Anna shook her head. "I need you to stay here, and look after Elsa. I can't leave her alone."

Kristoff glanced at me. "Is there any stopping her, Asgeir?"

I shrugged. "If there was, would you think either one of us would be here?"

"So what do you need of me?" He said.

Anna nodded. "Elsa can't know about this until we're gone. She wouldn't let me go there, and neither would Asgeir." Then Anna shook her head. "Well, he then said he will go with me as an escort. Can you just stall Elsa if she comes here looking for me?"

Kristoff sighed, then nodded. "Be back soon, Anna. I don't want to wait much longer."

Anna smiled. She darted out of the stables in a flash.

I rolled my eyes. "Anna! You forgot something!" I called.

I heard an "Oh! Right!" Then Anna rushed back in, threw herself into Kristoff's arms, and gave him a big kiss right on the lips. I coughed, trying hard not to laugh.

Anna smiled, then rushed out. I started following her, but Kristoff grabbed my arm.

"You watch out for her, Asgeir. Can I count on a Master Assassin to protect her?"

I smiled. "Not only that. You can also count on your future half-brother in-law."

* * *

><p>"Normally, I'd ask questions about what kind of fighter you are, Your Highness." Said Keif. "But as we are all pressed for time, we will stick with the basics."<p>

Keif was the weapons smith for the Assassin Brotherhood in Arendelle. His work was unmatched in all the land, even though he only supplied his work to those in the Order. He believed that weapons as well made as his needed to be earned just as they were bought. Two prices to pay for them: one of gold, and one of sweat.

Before we left, Anna and I needed weapons fitted for the journey. I knew that it would be a dangerous path with the Templars still after her, and whatever it was that Agdar and Mother had died for. So we headed to the Order's hideout underneath the village.

Keif pulled out from under the counter a long thin blade.

"Just finished this today. I like to keep busy, and most of this stuff will just end up getting put away. You might as well take it."

Anna picked up the sheathed sword carefully, and then slid it slowly out the scabbard, the sound of scraping metal making a harmonic ring.

Anna stared in awe at the blade. She swung it slowly a few times in examination. "Amazing!" She breathed. "How much?"

Keif shook his head. "Consider it a gift for the sister of one of our best warriors."

Anna sheathed the blade, and strapped it to her belt.

"What about those knives that you hide in your bracers?" She asked. "What are they called? Hidden blades?"

Keif held up a finger. "Ah yes. Well, we strictly stick to teaching members in the Order for that. But I will give a basic one to Asgeir for you to use just in case. Speaking of, the package has arrived, Asgeir."

I looked up in surprise. I had been waiting months for the new design, and now is when I got it in? I'd barely have time to practice with it.

Keif placed the two new blades out on the table. They looked exactly like the current blade model in it's design, but the plans I found for this was anything but basic. They were based on rough sketches of a Templar engineer. He dedicated many years to perfecting our signature weapon, the Hidden Blade, and wrote a whole manuscript on better versions of them. One, for example, was a bracer with two blades in them. Instead of the blade shooting out straight, both swung wide in opposite directions on the bracer, and then met at the tip. Two blades for one. I found the engineer a year ago, and almost half of his book. But he tore out the rest of the pages and left them in the hands of many different Templars across the realms. The pages I had found and brought to Keif I had recovered in The Land Without Color three months ago. I barely escaped with my life from the crypt they were hidden in. Some of these Templars had creative ways of hiding things they didn't want us to find. I don't even know how the engineer had sent the pages to the other realms.

"Those pages you found were unlike anything I saw, but I was inspired enough that this will most definitely work. It's taken so long to finish because there was certain part that was needed for this, and without it, the whole integrity of the blade would collapse. Have a look."

While Anna swung at a nearby dummy with her new sword, I strapped both new blades on. With a flick of the wrists, the blades extended out. The steel blade was longer in design to ensure a close range attack would be wider in reach, and much more lethal. But there was another feature that made this one new.

"Turn the symbol on the wrist clockwise." Said Keif, gesturing on his own wrist.

I recognized the Order's symbol right on my blade, meant as the mechanism's button. As I turned it, it clicked in place once.

"The new design was again, unlike anything I ever saw. You'll be the first one to be testing the Rope Blade. Made for ranged attacks from a hundred feet away."

I pressed the button. The blade did extend like I expected, but what did make me jump was that it didn't stop after the blade popped out. It shot out of the mechanism like a bullet, and embedded right into the dummy beside Anna. She shrieked loudly as it hit the dummy, went right through, and embedded itself in the wall right behind it. The blade also had left behind something as it flew out of the mechanism: a long sliverish rope. A quick look told me it was made of a special carbon blended rope, which made sense. That kind of rope in our Order is hard to come by, and both blades needed a lot of it.

"Perhaps reading more of the instructions could suffice?" Said Keif, snidely.

Anna nervously pulled the blade out of the wall. I flicked my wrist again, and the rope and the blade zipped right back into the mechanism after slipping back through the dummy's head. A couple beans slipped out through the hole in it's head.

"I trust you might want to know the extra feature it comes with?" Said Keif.

I laughed in surprise. "This is already shaping up to be the best weapon I used, and there's still more?"

Keif nodded. "Turn the dial once more."

I did so, and took aim. I looked over at one of the walls down the hall. Matthew and a few others were discussing plans over a large map on the table. Time to have some fun.

"What makes that setting unique isn't the blade's shooting function!" Said Keif.

I flicked my wrist, the Rope Blade slashing across the hall, and embedding itself in the wall. I flicked my wrist again, expecting the blade to come back to me. I got a surprise.

Instead of the blade coming back to me, I came to the blade. I felt a massive yank on me that flung me across the room. Anna screamed out my name as I soared across the hall and slammed into the wall like a fly.

Matthew and the others laughed, and once I got the wind back in me, I too started laughing hard. Anna and Kief rushed over as they helped me up. Anna fussed over me, checking me out for any bruises or wounds. Keif explained once I got the dust knocked off me.

"This was an accidental function in one of the most recent prototypes. The setting you selected is designed to take you to the target by increasing the pull on the mechanism when you try to retract the rope back. Think of it like a grappling hook on your wrist. That's why I needed steel rope. It's to support your weight."

"Can I use it to pull a target to me?" I asked.

"You'd have to get plenty practice of controlling the pull. I have no idea how good this blade will work as I haven't made anything like this. My best guess is that once you've had enough work with the new blade, you can be yanking the fools a new one, and be zipping across the room on your own accord. But all I ask for you is that you use the new blades as much as you can on this trip with the princess. You never know when the skills you have yet to learn will come in handy."

"Thank you Keif." I said.

Anna turned to Matthew. "Mentor Matthew?" She asked.

Matthew bowed his head. "No need, Your Highness. Please just call me Matthew. You are our humble guest, and we are at your service. What can I do for you?"

"Passage to Misthaven by this evening." She replied.

Luckily, Matthew had plenty of friends outside the Order. The captain of the ship was a friend, and was glad to help serve the Order and Anna. Keif fitted me with a number of various weapons I would need on the expedition: my two finest cutlasses, sharpened and polished, my bow and quiver, two flintlocks, and by special request, my old air rifle. I hadn't used it in a long time due to my most frequent use of my bow. It was the only thing that Shay brought to the Assassins that I could thank him for.

I pulled my hood up. "We best be off, Anna." I said.

Anna nodded and we headed for the exit.

"Go forth and do what needs to be done, Asgeir. Find your answers" Called Matthew. "Nothing is True. Everything is Permitted."

Anna and I turned. We both put our fists over our hearts, and bowed in response.

* * *

><p>As the sun set on the day, the ship was just sliding out of the fjord. The Sight in my eyes saw Elsa running towards the dock at the village, with no luck being able to stop us.<p>

I walked over to Anna, her clutching her snowflake pendant tight. The one that had become her most precious possession aside from her engagement ring in less than a day.

"This'll make things right, Anna." I said. "We will find proof what Mother and Agdar were doing. There's more to it than fear. I can tell they weren't running from Elsa."

Anna looked over at me, then back out on the water. "What's this place like? Misthaven? Is it dangerous?"

I crossed my hands. "Each land has it's own element of danger to it. But Misthaven has it's own special kind."

"How haven't I heard of it before?" Said Anna.

"Everyone knows it by the name that the inhabitants call it: the Enchanted Forest."

* * *

><p>Before I left, Matthew had given me the one thing I would need above everything else. Only given to those in the inner circle of the Order, each member was given a small pouch of six magic beans. Not only did we grow them ourselves, but we also stockpiled them. As far as the giants were concerned, their beans were all theirs. They didn't realize that we used them to jump between realms. They are what made our Order possible in the Land Without Magic. But the six that each member carried were meant only for the tightest of emergencies, to escape to another realm, and then come right back. I would use two in this expedition long before it's end.<p>

That evening, Anna and I went below decks and met the captain Henrik, and his crew.

"Step lively, dogs!" He cried out. "We're in the company of Princess Anna and Royal Spymaster Asgeir of Arendelle!"

He sat down with us at a table as dinner was finishing up. The crew was clearing out as we were entering.

"What can I do you for, Your Highness? Sir?" Henrik asked us.

Anna shook her head. "We're fine. Just leave us be, if you'd be so kind."

Henrik bowed. "Of course, Your Highness. The crew's music group is putting on a show in the crew's quarters in an hour, if you wish." He got up and left.

Anna looked over at me when we were close enough to alone. Three other crew members were over at another table on the far side of the quarters, playing dice. "Do your spies know anything about what goes on there in the Enchanted Forest?"

I shook my head. "I've only been working for them for less than a year. I myself have been there many times, but never made friends outside the Order. You have a lead here in Misthaven, right? This David person?"

Anna nodded. "Kristoff knows him, and said that we can trust him."

I looked around. "Anna, I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again: you are in more danger than you care to realize. You ticked off a lot more people than Hans by exposing his plans to take the throne."

Anna sighed. "Yeah. You say the Templars are trying to kill me. But I've done what I can to defend myself. I also think you came here to protect me, right?"

I looked over at the crew members. None of them took any notice of us. "It's more than that, Anna. You're right about one thing: I appeared out of the blue to save your life, and now you have a brother. But in the past two years I've barely been home, always off trying to keep the Templars from reaching Arendelle. I owe it to you to at least have an adventure with you."

Anna smiled, then glanced back at the men. One of them gave us the slightest of stares before returning to the game.

"They're spies, right?" Said Anna.

I smiled. Anna didn't have the Sight like I did, but she had a keen insight into other people thanks to my training with her. I concentrated, and saw the three men glow red. I nodded.

"How do you want to play it?" She asked.

I nodded to her. "Whatever you do, I'll follow."

Anna gave it about three seconds before she pulled out a small coin purse from her cloak. I pulled my hood up, and followed her to the table.

Anna swung the purse casually around, the coins jingling like the bell on Kristoff's sled. She placed it on the table, and the three spies looked at her. They glared murderously at her.

"Can we work something out, boys?" She asked.

This was not something I would normally follow, but I knew Anna wasn't the one to give herself up just like this. She knew something.

"No." Came one reply. "We have been paid much more for your head."

Anna's smile faded. "Thought not."

She grabbed the purse, and smashed it into the closest man's face. I grabbed the one closest to myself, and extended my blade to his throat. He tried for his sword, but I pushed my blade closer.

"Ah, ah, ah!" I replied.

Anna just knocked out the other one, and then looked at the third one in my grip.

"What should we do with this one, Highness?" I said.

Anna nodded. "Find out what he knows."

I shoved the man down into a chair at the table as Anna sat across from him. I pulled out my flintlock and pushed it against his temple as I sat down beside him.

"Tell us what you know, or I replace your brain with lead."

"You don't have it in you!" He cried.

Anna held a hand up. "I'd watch my mouth if I were you. I'm giving you a chance, but my companion here doesn't have my restraint. You simply need to tell us what you know about your benefactors."

"Go to hell, Princess!"

I replied to that remark by lowering my flintlock, and shooting him in the calf. He cried out, and Anna winced.

"Can't we just try to show a little restraint, Asgeir? Of the three of us back home, you're almost as bad as your sister when it comes to making friends with that attitude."

One thing I forgot to mention was the secrets between me and the sisters. It is well known throughout the kingdom of Arendelle that I am the Royal Spymaster, but no one knows that I am Elsa and Anna's brother. The only exceptions to this are Kristoff, the trolls, Kai, and Gerda. Anyone else outside, Anna and I had to use code words to speak in a language that some would think they understand, but not at all. Anna was essentially saying that I was almost as bad as making friends as Elsa.

"Hans!" Cried the spy in pain. "Prince Hans of the Southern Isles! He promised us a fortune to kill you! With your death, he is to be inducted into the Order!"

Anna looked down. Who knew someone that innocent could infuriate so many others. But it was more than that: her brother was the sworn enemy to the Order that Hans wanted to join in with. Especially after I killed one of his brothers.

Anna then nodded to me. "Give him to the captain and pay him the usual rate to keep him quiet about this. We need to get to Misthaven, quick."

I pulled out my other flintlock, which still had a bullet it the chamber, and held it to the spy's head.

"Move." I ordered.

The spy shuffled forward as we headed up the stairs.

"You Assassins and negotiations. Instead of paying me off, you try to blow my head off instead."

I jabbed the barrel of my pistol into the back of his head. I could feel it pressing up against his thick skull.

"There's a difference: I'd be more forgiving if you only threatened me. Threaten those that I care for, and then I will lose all contempt for people like you."

The spy turned his head to look at me as we headed up to the decks.

"You live up to your name, Assassin. We've heard a lot about how Queen Elsa's spymaster is an Assassin hellbent on protecting Arendelle and her two beauties, the Queen and Princess. But it's not very honorable to be given the title of the White Reaper alongside the others."

I heard the name before. Most called me this because of the white hood. I'd assume they would call me the Blank Reaper for whatever color the hood was.

"No matter what names I have been given, know this: set eyes on my queen and princess, enter Arendelle again, or so much as think of either one of them, and I will truly live up to whatever expectations you have for how I would kill you. Send the message back to that royal prick, Hans."

Henrik stood at the helm with a concerned look as I pushed the spy to him. I handed him a bag of gold none too smaller than the one Anna had tried to give the spies. Then I headed back below decks as Anna and I came to watch the show.

"Way hey and up she rises/way hey and up she rises/ way hey and up she rises/ early in the morning."

"Come all you young sailor men listen to me/ I'll sing you a song of the fish in the sea and it's/ windy weather boys/ stormy weather boys/ when the wind blows/ we're all together boys/ blow ye winds westerly/ blow ye winds blow/ jolly sou'western boy/steady she goes"

"Heave up go and heave away/ way hey roll and go/ the anchor's on board and the cable's all stored/ to be rollicked and randy dandy o"


	2. Chapter 2: Past-Nothing is True

**A/N: I can honestly say that I wasn't expecting this fic to pick up so fast! I thank everyone who's already followed this story and I promise that as a result, I will keep writing and work hard at having it release alongside OUAT's Season 4. If you catch any Assassin's Creed references in this, you're awesome. One more thing for any Game of Thrones fans who are reading this: Asgeir's appearance and character is based off of one of my favorite characters from the show: Jon Snow! Small wonder why if you really think about it. And yes, Asgeir has a British accent. This is because he was raised mostly by Assassins with accents. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to review, follow, and even shoot me a PM. I appreciate all feedback.**

Chapter 2:Past-Nothing is True...

I was nine when I first heard those words speak loud and clear as my training began.

"Nothing is True..."

Nothing? Then why must anyone believe in anything? To truly never believe in anything is to lose purpose for everything.

"...Everything is Permitted"

That can't be true either. A world where I can truly do anything and no one would stop me is just a pointless dream.

They all told me the same thing from the start. It was Matthew who truly spoke it to me, and my understanding began for the Creed.

"Remember, Asgeir. We are Assassins. We work in the dark to serve the light, bringing death upon those who deserve it. Those who would seek to see this world to end with us kissing their feet are truly the bane of existence to this world. Never forget that when your time comes, you will leave behind something for this Order."

Matthew was the Grand Master of our wing of the Order. I had my share of friends in the Order, but none like him. He was my father's apprentice when he was my age, and saw it his own responsibility to teach me what my father taught him. He was like a brother to me.

But I didn't just have Matthew. Under my hood in the Order, I had a secret only few knew of: my true family. I was a bastard born to a Queen of a nearby kingdom; The kingdom of Arendelle. Several of my friends in the Order knew of this, but outside the order, I could count on my fingers the ones who knew the truth.

Twenty four years ago, the King and Queen of Arendelle were expecting a child. They had been waiting for an heir for so long. When he was born, the Queen confessed the truth to her husband: I wasn't his trueborn son, but the son of Daniel Swortssen, a name only some knew of. King Agdar knew of him, because he was one of our enemies: A Templar. He covered the truth up as best he could. Hours after I was born, he ordered the seven servants that had seen me to forget that it ever happened, and then took me out to the woods to leave me. He also burned a diagonal slash across the back of my right hand to show my status to the world: the Bastard's Brand. Then he left me to die.

But Agdar didn't count on our eyes. My father knew that Gerda was with child, and sent several spies for us to keep their eyes on me, and ensure my safety. When Agdar left me for dead, they took me to Father.

He proudly took me in as his true son, and for the first few years of my life, he raised me. Despite being an Assassin at heart, Daniel was also a good father. He always made me feel like I had a place where I belonged. But when I was six, the Templars found our hideout, and executed him, Agdar leading the charge. I will never forget looking down the hilltop as we fled, seeing Father beaten and bloody, his neck against a log, as Agdar took his sword and then his head.

We spent years fleeing from the Templars everyday. But I know something: even if the Templars were to destroy every home we ever knew, we always find a new one. A small community on the border between Misthaven and Corona served as our new home. I grew up wanting to kill Agdar for hurting me. Father never told me why Agdar wanted to kill him, aside from the fact that he was a Templar, and we were Assassins. But Matthew eventually revealed the truth to me: Agdar wasn't killing Father out of bloodlust for our feud with the Templars, but revenge for giving me to his wife, my Mother. Ever since then, I trained harder than I ever could. Nothing drove me further than getting to Agdar for killing my father. I spent years across the realms, killing Templars, and those who did not deserve the lives they held. Many times I heard whispers from the Templars about Agdar's rage towards me. He had no idea who I truly was, only that I was the Assassin who sought to end everything that he had built up.

* * *

><p>When I was 16, Matthew sat me down to discuss some important things.<p>

"By now you may be aware of your mother's daughters?" He asked.

I nodded. "Elsa and Anna. I haven't seen them, but I know of them. What about them?"

"We've uncovered the Templars' true plot, and it involves both of them. I don't know when, but sometime in the future, both girls will be inducted into the Templars and become new members."

I nodded. "It'll put my own blood at the top of my list."

"There's more. Both sisters have been locked up for years, and we now know why: Elsa holds some sort of ice magic. It's dangerous, and from our knowledge, it nearly killed someone in the castle. Add that with her wisdom as a monarch, and-"

My eyes widened. "The Templars will have already won."

Matthew nodded. "Now normally, we'd be killing both sisters right now. But Agdar hasn't even told either sister of his allegiance towards the Templars, or who they are."

"We need to kill Agdar." I said. "And quick."

Matthew disagreed. "What have I taught you, Asgeir?"

I thought hard. It was an old lesson by one of our greatest from another land. The teachings of Ezio Auditore. "Striking at the head won't solve anything. We kill Agdar now, and someone will take his place."

"Exactly." Said Matthew. "We have our targets aligned with Agdar, so they will come first. Agdar will eventually come to our sights, but until then, we can't do anything like that."

I got up. "So where do we start?"

"We start soon. Right now we wait for a move from the Templars. Then we fight."

As I walked out, Matthew said one more thing. "We aren't killing those girls yet, Asgeir. Remember our first tenet."

* * *

><p>The life of an Assassin is the furthest from an easy one. It takes the strongest of us to even bear it. Every year, more of us die at the hands of the tyrants with the Red Cross. We're always seen as the villains in this war, and people believe the stories. I often dream of a world where we find an end to this world. The last Templars see a world where people no longer cheat each other, and can work together without the Templars' influences. A world where all people, cultures, and faiths are equal. Where instead of spending all our time trying to hurt each other, we focus on protecting each other. That reminded me of a saying written by Ezio's father Giovanni Auditore: "There will come a day when men no longer try to cheat each other. On that day, we shall see what we are truly capable of." That day was long away. I always knew I would never live to see it, but I would do my part to leave something behind for those who would.<p>

For five years, we fought the Templars, doing what we could to push them from Arendelle and Misthaven. Word began spreading of dangerous Templars rising faster than new Assassins. Cora, the Queen of the Eastern Reach suddenly vanishing, and her daughter Regina taking her place into the Templars. Then came a snag in the plan as another one of our targets fell.

"King Agdar is gone." Said Matthew one day at a table meeting.

Several of us were shocked. "Gone?" Said Jason. "Dead?"

"Lost at sea." He said. "He and Queen Gerda's ship was found by rescuers four days ago. They are both dead. With his death, the Templars in Arendelle are fractured. We can now set up a better wing in Arendelle, and hopefully reclaim our home in due time."

I just stood up and stormed out. Matthew called for my name, but I did not answer. I went out into the woods, and climbed up into the trees. Agdar was the one person who's death would let me sleep easier. Killing him for revenge would not bring Father back, but it would make our lives as outlaws much easier. I had become an Assassin who made sure targets suffered before they died. I had gone into a downwards spiral that only gave me more pain and suffering. I was one of the only people in our wing of the Order that used poison almost as often as steel. I was under a lot of contempt for other people's lives, those of the Templars, and of those in privileged lives as nobles. There was a time, weeks ago, when I killed a lower ranking Templar, and didn't even offer the prayer for him: "Hvil I Fred", or "rest in peace" in Old Arendelian. It was our way of showing respect for others, and instead, I deliberately avoided wishing that for him. What kind of monster had I turned into? No true Assassin. And to now hear that Agdar, the one who tried to bring death on me when I was born, was dead, didn't make me relieved. It made me furious.

But something happened after that day that changed things. Both potential Templars in Arendelle were without parents, and therefore had no one to help induct them in. This was another chance that we had. Matthew asked for my help in this.

"We aren't to come straight out to either sister. Tenet two and three." He said. "We are to observe them, and protect them. Find some way to stop the Templars from trying to reach them."

I did as I was asked. I watched both sisters with curiosity at a distance. For three years I spent my time in Arendelle, watching Anna and Elsa with interest. At first I only saw more potential targets in them, but they were different. Anna was a warm, gentle soul who saw value in everyone's lives, and who personally knew every one of the servants names off by heart. It was almost like they weren't her servants, but more like friends. Her only friends, since the castle was always closed up tight. Though, not enough for an Assassin.

Elsa was a different story. She was very wise beyond her years. But she lacked in courage what she had in her heart of ice. She could take a lesson from one of us about what it meant to face problems instead of hiding from them. But I felt a similar way with her. Both sisters were souls who didn't deserve the life of either an Assassin or a Templar. A life like that would be too much to bear for them. It was as I watched them that my faith began to come back. Faith in the Creed, and it's impact on humanity. I knew that one day I could truly stand among the legends. Ezio, Altair, Edward, Connor, Arno, all of them, and become one of the greats. Anna and Elsa brought me back, without talking to me, or even knowing who I was.

Despite being family to me, neither of them had any resemblance to me. Anna had bright blue eyes and strawberry blonde hair, and freckles across her nose. Elsa had skin as pale as snow, and as smooth as ice, with light blonde hair. I had black shaggy hair, a stubble, and several scars across my faces from various fights. One went from my right eyebrow, down diagonally across my nose to my left cheek. The other was down my left eyebrow, cutting it in half and down to meet with the other, almost forming a slight "X" across my face. Anna often said these days they reflected how much I had been through and how they had made me stronger.

* * *

><p>The Templars did not give up in their plans for the sisters. Their plans revolved around the hope that the window could open up. And they would send one of their own to twist both sisters into their weapons. None of us let it happen. I killed three potential threats before they even had their chance to get turned away because Elsa wasn't seeing anyone that day. (Or ever. She was always shut up in her room if she wasn't taking lessons from her tutors.)<p>

There was one day that I was almost exposed. The target was a Lord from Misthaven hoping to discuss the possibility of a trading alliance in the future. He needed to discuss the plans with Elsa, as she was unofficially the Queen of Arendelle, and therefore, the only one who could verify the agreement.

I found out about the true intentions of the meeting only an hour before he arrived at the castle. While Kai went to go get Elsa, I climbed up onto the roof of the garden's covered walkway. I watched as he sat down, waiting for a response. It was a simple job of running over, jumping down from above, and slicing his neck open with my blade. But then came the snag.

As I put him down, whispering the prayer, I heard a gasp. I looked up suddenly, thankful for the cover of my hood.

A young woman stood there. She had her strawberry hair tied in two braids, one of which was hinted with a streak white as snow. Despite her status, she wore a dress that looked more like that which a villager would normally wear. She had her hands to her mouth at the sight of the hooded man before her, covered in her sister's guest's blood.

There was no disappearing from this. But there was also no killing Anna because I could not do it, no matter what. She fit the term "innocent" as perfectly as a shoe tailored for oneself. I stood there, frozen, unsure of what to do.

Then came one of the most strangest responses I ever thought of: I looked at Anna directly in the eyes, my face hidden by the shadow of my hood, and I raised my finger to my mouth, hush. Then I took off, the wind blowing with me.

* * *

><p>That was the last I saw of Anna for seven months. Not long afterwards, Elsa's revelation came forth in the form of a winter in the middle of July that lasted three days. Elsa became more than just the Queen of Arendelle. She gained a new name alongside her coronation: the Snow Queen.<p>

Anna had an experience in those days I wish was better. It turned out that the Templars' plan almost had been successful, but we were unable to intervene due to the winter. Anna, however, foiled their plans. Their member, a prince by the name of Hans, was tasked with doing whatever it took to turn Elsa to the Templars. Anna didn't matter, because they didn't see any value in having her. But Anna ended up getting in the way of their plans. Hans was stripped of his titles, and I breathed easier as I resumed my position of watching each sister from afar.

You may have had this moment in your life, or you are waiting for it. No matter, everyone gets at least one moment. It's the moment when something happens in your life that truly changes everything in less than a whole second. It will be in that instant that you will have a life that is never the same. It can be arguably seen that the moment in my life was when Agdar left me to die. But that is not true. The real truth was when I received a letter from one of our spies two months after Elsa's coronation.

Matthew called me over when the carrier bird brought it to us. Enclosed with it was a list. The letter read:

"_Master Asgeir._

_This situation concerns all of us, but I am aware that it will be of your concern the most. I recently intercepted a Huntsman for the Templars, and with it, a list of targets. Most of them are some people not of our care, but then came one that did shake me. It was Princess Anna of Arendelle._

_I demanded he explain why she was on his list, and he said what he knew: the Templars want Anna dead for ruining their plans four months ago. The Huntsman is not the only one they hired, and it will be happening soon. What's more is that everyone committing the assassination is requested to wear white hoods. It may already be too late._"

A frame job. Kill the only person left in this world that she loves, and frame us for the deed. Nothing would turn Elsa against the Assassins faster, and in turn, bring her to the Templars. I didn't say anything to Matthew. He nodded to me as I ran off.

* * *

><p>I arrived in Arendelle by dark that night. Already I felt my senses shiver as I vaulted the castle's high walls above the water: the Templars were already here. I climbed up to an unused nest at the top of a guard tower. Already I saw two disguised Templars running across the rooftops. Quickly, I whipped out my air rifle, and loaded it up. Two quick shots followed, with both falling to the ground, off the slanted roof. I dropped to the floor of the nest, onto my chest as I loaded another cartridge of darts in, taking a sharpshooter stance. Another Templar was running, this time trying to take cover from whatever hit his friends. But he was taking cover from the wrong angle. Another click came from the rifle as he fell down from the roof. Sleep poison, I used on them. Despite being non-lethal, a fall from a roof at that height, head first, would be much more deadly.<p>

Guards came out to investigate the bodies as I got up from the nest, and rushed inside.

I swung into a window, and instantly found myself behind one of the castle guards. At this hour, Anna would be in her room. I needed to get there, and quick. I came up behind the guard, and grabbed him by the neck. Holding him for a few seconds took his consciousness right out. I sank back into the shadows as I ran through the hallways with the speed and weightlessness of an eagle.

Another Templar was up in the rafters of the hallway. I whistled quietly to him. When he looked down, I opened my Phantom Blade and stuck him in the neck, the blade soaring up across the hall. I sprinted off towards Anna's room, narrowly avoiding his falling body.

I focused my senses, the Sight kicking in. A blood red path laid onto the floor stood in front of me. The Templars were ahead of me. I needed to move. As soon as I knew I had the right room, I opened it and went inside.

I was only seconds early. The two Templars stood over Anna's bed as she slept, one holding the knife up, ready to complete the deed. Anna's window let the light of the borealis give an ambient glow to the room, the shadow of the two predators standing over their prey. Without even thinking, I was no longer an Assassin. I wasn't even a killer. I was just a brother trying to save the sister he barely knew.

I didn't count on the creaky floorboard, but it gave me a couple more seconds before they finished the job. Both of them looked up as they heard the squeak, and before either of them could respond, I ran over and grabbed the one with the knife by the neck. I shoved his head under my arm, and squeezed hard, feeling his neck give way as he fell to the floor. I quickly slipped the knife out of his hand and tossed it across the room to the other guy. He dropped fast to the ground with a thud, like his friend.

I bowed my head. "Hvil I Fred." I murmured.

"Who's there?!"

I turned. This was the second time this happened, but it would be the last. Anna stared at me again as I raised my finger to my mouth, just like last time. But this time, Anna wasn't so quiet. She screamed out, leaving me no choice but to drop to my knees, and hold my hands to my head in defeat. The guards burst in, and grabbed me. I, Asgeir Swortssen, the Master Assassin, had been caught.

* * *

><p>I spent days in the prison underneath the castle. The captain of the guards had no problem with convicting me of an attempted assassination on Princess Anna. He didn't say anything for the seven bodies they found around the castle, and how they looked more like her would-be killers than me. Luckily, the guard that I had knocked out had lived, and would be taking a nice long holiday, and I quote, "no thanks to me".<p>

I sat in the pit for days, waiting for the visit from the one I knew would come. And she did.

I woke up that day to a small amount of sun shining through my window. I was chained to the floor by my hands and feet, but I just sat there, breathing slowly and softly out my mouth. Then I saw it: my breath. I saw the steam rushing out as the entire temperature in my cell dropped as quickly as the Templars I killed from that dinner party when I was eighteen. I smiled as I felt the frost gather in the cell.

Two people walked in, one standing out much more. She was a slender young woman with pale skin and bright blue eyes. Her blonde hair so light it was almost white, was tied in a bun behind her head, and she wore a teal dress with black sleeves. I was a little underwhelmed by her appearance, because I had heard the stories about her as the Snow Queen.

Elsa and the turnkey opened the door as she glared at me with eyes like razor sharp sapphires.

"Leave us." She said.

"At once, Your Majesty." He said, and walked out.

Elsa walked over. "So." She said. "I've heard stories of you, but I never believed they were true: The famed White Reaper."

I grinned. "Is that what they are calling me these days? Not really a good sign to know that I hold a reputation, but you got to admit, it's catchy."

"What's your name?"

I turned my head, and spat off to the side. "Call me Ishmael."

Elsa humorlessly smiled. "Cute. So I'll catch you up on what happened several nights ago. We find in your personal effects, a list containing a number of names, some scratched out. Most of them weren't known by us, but then I spy one that isn't crossed off, and what should I find? It's my own sister on that list. Now I will tell you how this played out: you and your buddies all have Anna as the target. You breach the castle, but as you start to make your way in, a strange realization crosses your mind."

Elsa spoke this with such sarcasm and no sympathy.

"You are the legendary White Reaper. What would happen if on this one particular job, you aren't the one who kills the sister of the famed Snow Queen of Arendelle? You would lose your reputation. So you turned your blade on each of your allies, and killed them all-"

"Did I? I have been very bad."

"-and then expected that when you reached the target's room, you would be the one to finish the job. Did I miss anything?"

I smiled. "You missed everything, Elsa." I stopped myself suddenly. "Can I call you Elsa?"

She scowled. "Your Majesty, if you don't mind."

"Right. As I was saying, Your Majesty, you missed everything. But who's to say you'll believe me?"

"I would."

Elsa and I looked up as Anna walked into the cell.

"Anna, what are you doing here? This man is dangerous. I told you to stay upstairs."

Anna shrugged. "C'mon, Elsa. You knew I wasn't going to listen anyways."

Elsa crossed her arms as Anna knelt down towards me. "I want to hear his side."

"Why, Anna?"

"Because from what I saw, he wasn't trying to kill me. He was saving me."

Elsa almost burst out laughing as I sat up, the cold chains rubbing against my bare wrists.

"What say you, Reaper?" Anna said. "Or what do I call you? What is your name?"

"Asgeir." I simply said. Then I began. "Those were assassins paid in coin to kill you, and I intercepted one of them days ago. I made it here, killed every one of them, and was meaning to leave, but as we know, the one standing before me blew my cover. As for the guard, I deliberately made sure I didn't kill him because of who he worked for."

Elsa looked at me strangely. "But why save her? What does it matter if either one of us live? Aren't you just an assassin? Who are you?"

I shook my head. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Surprisingly, neither Anna nor Elsa said "try me". Which is how I usually had things play out if I said that. Elsa just stormed out at my obscurity, but Anna stayed behind.

"What's this?" Said Anna as she pulled out the thing in her hands. "It was with your effects."

I tried to reach out and take that from Anna. "Careful! That's a blade!"

Anna smirked. "What, a leather bracer? What kind of blade looks like that?"

Anna tapped it a few times, but it didn't open. Our blades are built with a special mechanism in them, designed so that only us trained in our ways can open them.

Anna glanced at me, then put the blade back into her cloak. "Who are you, Asgeir? I don't even know you, yet you seem concerned for my well being since you saved my life, and are afraid I'll cut myself on this blade."

I sighed. "You met me once before. I know you know when."

Anna's eyes widened. "You're the one who killed that Lord Franklin when he came to discuss trading alliances. Why?"

"It's complicated, Highness." I said. "Such is the life that I lead."

Anna stood up, also fed up with my secrecy. "It always is. Last time I heard that, the secret was my sister had ice magic. I'm not even sure I want to know what secret you're hiding yet."

Anna walked out as the guard closed and locked the gate behind her, leaving me in the cell. The frost gathering on the walls had disappeared, leaving the room damp and cold. How was I going to reveal this truth to either of them? I couldn't answer that question, no matter what I tried to visualize their reaction might be. They would take the news as easily as anyone could.

* * *

><p>We have a ruling in our Wing of the Order: we leave no one behind. But this was a different case. I personally asked that I be left behind to give me enough time to reveal everything to the sisters. But who to tell first? Elsa was less trusting of anyone, and would probably freeze me if I said anything along the lines of "I'm your long lost half-brother, born to your mother and the kingdom's most feared Assassin."<p>

Elsa wasn't giving up on trying to pull every secret out of me. After that day in the prison, she moved me to a different cell where the chains hung from the ceiling, and not the floor. She was convinced that her story was true, that I had killed those Templars to let myself be the one to kill Anna. The captain of her guards spent the whole of that day interrogating me. But I once acclaimed four scars from an interrogation from the Templars when I was seventeen, and I didn't say anything past "that tickles". This interrogator was nothing.

That night, I tried to sleep for a bit. It was hard with my hands chained to the ceiling. But as the moonlight shone through the window of my cell, I felt the whole castle go silent as the last person up above drifted off. My chance had come.

I swung my legs up, and hung upside down. Then I started climbing up towards the ceiling with my head facing the ground. Escaping imprisonment like this was another of the techniques they taught me when I was young. True escape artists taught what they knew to us Assassins. When I reached the end of the chains, I let go, falling down onto the ground. The force of my fall caused the chains to break off their brackets into the ceiling. I was free.

The guard heard the commotion, and ran over to the cell. When he saw me standing free, he flung open the door and drew his sword.

"Clever!" He said. "But you're gonna bleed for that!"

I rolled my eyes, then swung the chains out towards him. It made a blunt whip, in a way, that instantly knocked him out the second they made contact.

"Sorry mate. I'll apologize to you personally if Elsa forgives me for this."

I rushed out into the corridor, and down to the guard station. I knew they had my effects locked up there, so after searching the lockers, I naturally found them hung up. Quickly I threw my hood on and strapped my weapons on. Then I took off.

When I exited the prison, I was in the main entrance hall of the castle. As I focused my Sight, I saw three guards in separate areas of the hall, and not one of them at the door. Quick as I could, hiding in the shadows, I opened the massive front door and slipped out.

The moon shone a huge light on the courtyard. The surrounding town glowed orange in it's firelight, but I started for the water. If I could make it that far, I could swim around the town and work my way back to the woods leading out of town. From there I could-

"Freeze!"

I turned suddenly. Both Elsa and Anna stood before me, a guard flanking each of them. The guards had their rifles out, aimed at me.

I smirked. "Pun intended?" I called over.

Anna rolled her eyes. "Elsa, remind me to never say that again!"

"Nowhere to run, Reaper!" Cried her sister. "Did you really think it would be that easy?"

I shrugged. "A little, yeah."

"You give yourself up, and maybe we can talk about giving you another week left to live!" Cried out Elsa.

I smirked. "You do realize I'm armed to the teeth, right? I've dropped enough bodies to fill seven hundred cemeteries, Your Majesty. I doubt your guards can take me down, even with those rifles. Now if you don't mind,"

I pulled out my flintlocks and aimed them both at the guards.

"I think it's well past time I made my exit!"

"Not until we get answers!" Cried Anna. "The only people we've seen you kill wore those white hoods a week ago. All the rest are guards here, and they've only been injured. Add that to the fact that you saved my life, and a lot doesn't add up! You're a cold blooded assassin. Why the sudden change of heart?"

I looked at Anna. How could I explain things to them? No proof to support my word. Nothing except the ramblings of an Assassin. Elsa would never believe me, but maybe Anna would.

Then I remembered who could provide proof. We had one mutual contact in Arendelle when it came to magic none of us understood. The Living Rocks, or trolls.

"Meet me where the rocks breathe in two days time, Highness. Your Majesty. I request that you two come alone, and we both know I won't do anything to hurt you there. Where the rocks breathe, and the steam rises from the ground. You know where it is."

I dropped a smoke bomb to the ground, leaving me to take off.

* * *

><p>The king of the trolls, Grand Pabbie was a long time friend of ours. While he saw that our fight with the Templars was one that he would not fight with us, he helped us when we were most in need. But like most outside the small circle of people I trusted, he was unaware of my true parentage. But he trusted the Assassins, so I could have him find some way to prove my words.<p>

I spent the next few days in the woods, hiding and doing what I could to avoid Elsa's soldiers. Despite my requests, she had her forces try their best to track me down. I only hoped that she and Anna would come alone to the Valley when they would.

I arrived early that day, and saw some of the trolls up and walking. I had been there only twice in my life, so the only one to recognize me as Asgeir was Grand Pabbie. All the rest had a different sort of attitude about me.

"Another one."

"Why do they always wear those sinister hoods?"

"Mommy, he scares me."

"...downright cruel, I hear some of them are."

"...Grand Pabbie trusts them. Leave him be."

I sat down cross legged on the ground as Grand Pabbie rolled forward.

"Asgeir. It has been far too long."

I nodded. "Yes, my friend. I hope I can ask you for help?"

"Of course. What do you need?"

"Would it be possible to prove two family members were related? Through blood magic?"

Grand Pabbie stared at me in surprise. "Why yes. What is it that you wish?"

"I have secrets, Grand Pabbie. All of us in the Order do, but mine are greater in secrecy than most. I need you to understand the utmost importance that this stays between me, and the two people who will be visiting you soon."

"I will be having more visitors, eh? I was hoping I could take my nap, but I suppose. Who are they?"

I sighed. "My half sisters, Princess Anna, and Queen Elsa."

* * *

><p>As Elsa and Anna entered the clearing, I held my hands up, my weapons all lying on the ground in front of me.<p>

"You came alone, Miladies?" I called out.

Anna nodded. "But what is it that you want with us? Who are you?"

I lowered my hands. "My name is Asgeir Swortssen, member of the Assassin Order. My father was an Assassin before me, but it was my mother that provided a connection of me with you."

I held my hands out. "I'm your brother."

Both girls stared at me, jaws hanging by loose threads. Then Elsa spoke up.

"What are you playing at?!"

I held my hands up again. "Nothing. I came here to protect the only family I have left."

"Liar." Elsa snapped. "You're just another Hans trying to take Arendelle!"

I narrowed my eyes at Elsa. "Don't ever equate me to that royal prick again, Your Majesty. I seek a better world than what people like he are after."

"I believe him."

Both Elsa and I stared at Anna after she spoke up.

"Anna, enough."

"No! It makes sense now. He wants us here for proof. Proof only the trolls can give. And you said it yourself: he's one of the deadliest assassins in the kingdoms. Why hasn't he killed us yet? Why did he save my life?"

Grand Pabbie rolled forwards from behind me.

"Anna. Your Majesty." He bowed. "I have known Asgeir's kind for a long time, and I trust his story."

Elsa nodded at him. "What proof can he give us?"

Grand Pabbie beckoned for the sisters to approach. "Blood. It's in your blood."

Anna grinned in realization. "Blood magic. I've heard of this!"

"All I need is two people to give a few drops of their blood. The rest is no problem."

I glanced over at my weapons on the ground. "Highness, perhaps you should grab that sword over there? I doubt our sister would approve of myself grabbing it."

Anna nodded and walked over. As she did, Grand Pabbie left to go get the items for the spell. Elsa glared at me, inches away from freezing me solid right where I stood.

"If you so much as twitch near her, Assassin..."

I nodded. "You've made that clear, Majesty. But I have no reason to."

"Assassin or not, you have a reputation. I've seen your story. Killing innocents across the lands. People who have been known for their philanthropy."

I bowed my head. "You're right." I said, sarcastically. "I am ashamed of those deaths. It's not like they were only buying their way into a good position with the people with their generosity and faux sympathy. My enemies wish to control all of mankind, and in doing so, they have taken high positions on the food chain, calling us the evil ones. They say history is written only by the victors. We seek for the freedom of everyone from monarchs and dictators that would rather see their people bow down and obey them than truly be good rulers."

"And me?" Said Elsa. "Am I your enemy, Asgeir?"

I turned my whole body towards her. "No." I replied. "Even if you saw the world wrong, I wouldn't kill you. I'd try to help you see a different light in the world. The world you seek is not unlike the one I do."

Anna walked up with my sword, and kneeled down beside me just as Grand Pabbie returned. He held a vial of water in his hands.

"So how does this work?" Said Anna.

Grand Pabbie pulled a hair off his head as he explained. "The water is from the spring which fuels our magic." He said. "All it needs for this spell is a hair off an elder troll's head, and the two subjects' blood."

Grand Pabbie dropped the hair into the water, then looked at Anna.

"You first please, Anna."

Anna looked down at my sword with unease. She held her hand out, and carefully slid the blade across her palm, wincing sharply as she did so. I grabbed her hand, and held tight. Elsa almost jumped forward at me, but stopped herself.

"Thanks." Anna whispered to me. She held her open palm over the potion as the blood started dripping out.

I took the sword from Anna, and using the other side of the blade, casually slid it over my hand. Pain was another thing we were taught to master in the Order, so this did not hurt me at all. I held my palm out.

"What happens next?" Said Anna.

Grand Pabbie watched as the potion glowed white. "If it turns blue, you are pure brother and sister. If it turns red, you are of no relation. To prove Asgeir's story, the potion must turn green, signifying that you only share half of your blood."

Grand Pabbie shook the potion gently. Suddenly, we heard a small hissing noise as the potion began to darken. It then took on a hue akin to that of a deep forest.

Anna flung her arms around me as I smiled at the result. Elsa just stood by, brooding to know that she was related to such a monster.

* * *

><p>While Elsa kept silent for the rest of the day, Anna couldn't have been more excited. When we got back to the castle, she explained things to Kai, who in turn, would get the guards off my arse.<p>

"He saved my life. We should welcome him and let him stay for a while." She said.

I told her not to reveal my true identity just yet to the othwe people at the castle. I would decide when the time would be right.

"And what is the name of our mysterious guest, Princess Anna?" Said Kai, glancing over at me.

Anna was about to say "Asgeir", but I knew that Kai was one of the seven servants that had seen me when I was born.

"Connor." I said, cutting Anna off. "Connor Kenway."

A legend of our Order, and one of my heroes, I always used _Ratonhnhaké_:_ton's _colonist name as an alias.

Kai smiled. "An honor to officially meet our 'royal protector'." He joked as he shook my hand.

Anna and Kai led me to the guest chambers up high in the castle. When he was finished, Kai headed off to deal with some other business. Anna turned to me.

"So how long do you plan on staying with us, Asgeir?" She asked.

I stopped. "I'm not really sure. My first plan was to wait until a better time to reveal who I was, and then go back to the Assassins."

Anna frowned. "So you reveal yourself and then you just go right back to the way things are? You're more like Elsa than either of you two would care to admit. She was eager to jump right back into routine after her coronation, but she didn't expect things to go sideways like they did."

"I know. My brothers and I were within her magic's range. She's that powerful?"

"Oh yeah." Then Anna stopped. "Brothers? There's more of our family?"

I smirked. "Not exactly. My brothers at arms in the Assassin Order. They were the ones who raised me. Taught me their ways, and forged me into the Assassin I am now."

"So are you obliged by an Assassin to give a fake name to your hosts?" Asked Anna. "Connor?"

I shook my head. "I told you that I am your brother. What I forgot to mention was that your father took me away from this family personally when I was born, and told the kingdom I was stillborn. But seven servants saw me breathing. Kai was one of them. He would know exactly who I was if I said my name was Asgeir. He's not ready for that truth yet. Trust me."

Anna opened her mouth to counter my argument, but then stopped again. "You really are a lot like Elsa: you're one big mystery just begging to be solved."

I sat down on the bed. "Yeah, but I'm not sure you'll like what you find at the end of that tunnel. And there's one thing I don't have in common with you or Elsa."

"What is it?"

"I really am a monster."

* * *

><p>Sleep is a strange force to the Order. It comes to us naturally, or all that guilt and alertness keeps us on the edge. I've never been a real sleeper. Anna left me in my room after dinner, but I found myself watching out into the woods out on the rooftops of the castle.<p>

I understood Elsa's position. How she saw Agdar. She saw a father who would do anything to protect his daughters, even if that meant locking one up to save the other. And her mother. Why would she risk throwing away her marriage to Agdar for an Assassin like my father? To spend a night voluntarily with him and have a son from that. Shame, is what she felt. Shame that I was here. I only wish that she truly understand what kind of person her father really was, as I was the only one to truly see the terror that the Templars were capable of on the innocence of a newborn.

And even though he thought I was dead, it still wasn't enough for Agdar. He hunted us through Arendelle, tearing the kingdom apart if he wasn't busy pining over Elsa and her magic. The Templars say they wish to guide humanity into a new world. One where they can lead and be the shepherds protecting the sheep from the eagles. Yet the truth is that if an eagle were to target the shepherd instead of the sheep, the shepherd would use a sheep as a shield in fear. They were the only people motivated by fear more than an angry mob.

Yes, Elsa had a brand new burden of the family. She thought that she could let go of all the blood shed by this family, mostly done by her, only to see that someone else had dyed their innocence crimson.

The cool autumn air caressed my face, running through the stubble on my cheeks. I looked down at the shadow I cast over the water. The hood's point formed what looked like an eagle's beak, to truly make our enemies break down in fear.

The glow of the morning light was breaking through, rising over the Arendelle bay. I had a good assumption that Anna would be greeting me as early as she would wake up, so I jumped down from my perch and slid down the wall to my window, where I swung back into my room.

I knew things about the sisters, but when it came to sleep habits, I stayed clear of that since the only time I needed to know that kind of information was with targets. I didn't know that Anna was a very late sleeper. I tried to take the last couple hours of peace I had left, and sleep, but it didn't work. Sleep, as I said, eluded me like a common enemy.

Elsa was the only one in the dining hall as I came down when Kai notified me. We sat in silence as we ate. I was just amazed at all the food I had to try. Last breakfast I had was a crow and it's eggs. Worst part was finding a bullet fragment in it while I was eating. Happened all the time with me.

"How long will you be staying with us, Connor?" Said Elsa.

I looked up, a bit surprised, but then understood. Elsa must have been told what I told Anna from her, and there were two guards present in the room.

"I don't know." I said. "I expected I would be on my way now, but our mutual friend insisted I stay longer."

"Stay away from her."

I smirked. "Had to see that coming." I murmured.

Elsa ignored my remark, and continued with that icy glare at me. I saw a few flurries float over her head. "While you hung over the edge of the castle, right above my room, I was doing my homework on your kind. Those are not really nice things you people like to do, eh?"

So she knew my sleep habit now. Easy for her to assume the worst out of me.

I chuckled. "And I assume all these books were written by your father? Did you find any red crosses in those books?"

Elsa nodded. "But that doesn't excuse what you do, friend. I do what I do to protect Anna. And right now that means keeping you from her."

I chuckled again. The ungratefulness from that brat was unbelievable. I didn't care that Elsa was my sister. It wasn't fair for her to only see my hood and steel after I saved Anna's life. It made her no better than a certain sniveling duke.

"Is there something funny, Connor?"

"Yeah. If I did stay away from Anna, you would be just as alone as you were on that mountain. If I had stayed away in the first place, she would be dead, and you would be one of my enemies. But I don't want an enemy, and I doubt you do too. Sure, I'll try to stay away from Anna, but we both know that it's her that won't let me stay away."

I got up, clearly not welcome there. I started towards the door, but not before finishing with a good quip like any movie I had seen in the Land Without Magic.

"You call me monster in your head. Remember how that word was used by others four months ago, right here in this kingdom, Your Majesty." I spoke those last two words with such loathing, I knew Elsa would have frozen me right there if Anna hadn't walked right in.

While she looked ready for the day, I did notice a few tangles in her hair because she hadn't brushed it completely. Maybe she was just excited to see me.

"Morning!" She called. "What's on the schedule today, Connor?"

I glanced at Elsa. I saw the ice on her hand fading away.

"I need to talk to the blacksmith in town. Where can I find him?"

Anna nodded. "I know where. I can take you to him.

Elsa stood up. "Actually, Anna, I think it would be better if I had Kai or Gerda give him a map or something."

Anna smirked. "C'mon, Elsa. It's just the blacksmith. What harm can it be to go with him?"

Elsa pursed her lips uncomfortably, her brow creasing. Finally she spoke. "Fine. I'd say take a guard with you, but I know what your excuse would be there. One of you is a guard."

Anna beamed and grabbed my hand. "Let's go, As-Connor." She stuttered.

I could only chuckle at her almost blunder of my name. We'd find a way to bring my real name to the public eye one day. It would send a message to the Templars that one kingdom had an Assassin helping protect it.

* * *

><p>Anna took me across the bridge of the castle into town. She took me from the bright and colorful trading district where the people had their stands set up, to a more humble district. It seemed darker, despite being the middle of the day, and the old steel sign over the door looked like it hadn't been washed since it was forged, which looked like the dawn of time. The sign was a simple piece of steel, holes placed strategically on it to make it look like a flaming hammer. Anna opened the door, and beckoned me in.<p>

A man with brown hair and a stubble and mustache stood at the bellows, pushing them up and down to stoke the fire. When he heard the bell from the door ring, he smirked.

"Well, well. Princess Anna and..." Then he saw my hood. "Ah. What do you need?" He asked.

Most blacksmiths from here to the Southern Passage to the Eastern Reach were aware of our cause, and would do what they could to help us, for coin.

I put my coin purse down on the counter. "Regular sharpening and I will need ammunition."

"Excellent. I'm just going to need your inventory."

I pulled each weapon off my person as he examined them.

"Let's see. A pair of cutlasses forged in Corona, very nice."

"Two standard flintlock pistols. Cleaning and ammunition, I can give you."

Then he stopped. "You a pirate, friend?" He asked.

I shrugged. "Spent my time on board a ship. Sometimes their weaponry likes to stick with you."

He nodded and went back to work. "Lever action air rifle. Sleep, berserk, and steel tipped dart compatible. Impressive."

Then he checked my blades. The right handed one wasn't anything special, but the lefty was different. The smith noticed this too, and pressed the button. The blade's mechanism opened up and Anna jumped a bit.

"A Phantom Blade." The smith breathed. "These are very rare."

I nodded. "I'm one of only five Assassins in this realm to still use one. I like my projectiles just as much as my blades. Can I get ammunition for this?"

"I'll need a reference. Do you have a bolt from it?"

I nodded, pulling it out of my satchel. A long steel blade with no handle or bracer attached. Early designs of the Phantom Blade used broken pieces off of dead Assassins' hidden blades.

"Alright. I should have this back to you by the end of today. Come just before closing." He said.

Anna grabbed my hand. "Plenty of time for you to meet some more people." She said.

I smiled, then nodded at the smith. "I'll be back tonight."

* * *

><p>Anna held my hand as she pulled me down the corridor.<p>

"Just one thing about this friend: he's a big hugger."

I glanced at Anna. "I don't know, Anna. Last hug I gave someone-"

"You put a knife in their back?"

I nodded. "Such is the life."

Anna then laughed a bit. "You could try that on him, but chances are it won't do anything." She smirked as I just stared in confusion.

Anna opened the door to the library and we walked in. It was a massive room with a ceiling at least a good fifty feet up, with greatly carved pillars, and a roaring fire in the fireplace. Too many books to read in a lifetime strewn out over every shelf.

"Olaf!" She called out for the friend. "There's someone you need to meet!"

I heard a happy chuckle echo through the shadowed library as I looked down the way of shelves, trying to catch a glimpse of this mystery friend. The fire provided the only light in the room, making anywhere behind the shelves dark. I suddenly felt a tap behind me.

"Hi! I'm Olaf!"

I turned, and looked down. Olaf didn't get a chance to say two words before I shouted out and sent my foot flying through his head. It flew off his body altogether and landed in Anna's arms.

"What the hell?!" I cried out, reaching for the sword at my belt that wasn't there. I forgot the blacksmith had them.

Anna protested. "No! Asgeir, this is Olaf!" She held up his head, which seemed to be in no pain. A small cloud with snow falling from it hovered over his head.

"Uh, Anna?" He said.

Anna nodded, and set his head down onto his body. I just stared at the little white creature before me.

"How in the hell...?"

Anna smiled. "Elsa. She's just that powerful."

"She made a damn snowman come to life? Bloody hell..."

I have seen many strange things in my time in the realms, but for some reason, Olaf really threw me a curve. A dragon with two heads made me bare down and fight, but a talking snowman somehow was too much.

Olaf grinned. "And you are...?" He said.

I tried my best to smile, still trying to wrap my head around a talking snowman. "Uh, Asgeir."

Olaf looked at me funny. "As-gear?" He said, straining to pronounce it. "Asgeir, Asgeir, Asgeir." He said, three times quickly.

Anna smiled. "He's my brother, Olaf."

Now it was Olaf's turn to freak out. Although he didn't kick me in the head, which I apologized for later. He just gave this big gasp.

"But aren't you and Elsa the only ones in this family?" He said.

Anna shrugged. "I was as surprised as you, Olaf. It's a long story."

"What's with his hood?" Observed Olaf. He then held a hand towards his mouth. A hand made of a branch.

"He looks kinda scary with it on." He whispered to Anna.

I can swear that Olaf was easily one of the only friends I had then that had the most contagious smile. And he loved what he always referred to as "warm hugs". He gave one to both me and Anna as we were about to leave.

Anna smiled, waiting for my thoughts as we closed the door behind us.

"Well?" She said.

I laughed. "I'm hoping I don't have to meet a reindeer with a glowing nose next." I said, sniggering.

Anna looked by in confusion while I dismissed it.

"I'll explain to you one day. Who's next?"

"Well, you're half right with that assumption." Said Anna. "But it's not just Sven."

* * *

><p>Anna led me outside into the stables. When we arrived I saw a tall man with messy blonde hair feeding carrots to a reindeer in one of the stables. It grunted loudly as we came in.<p>

"What is it, Sven?" The man said, turning around. He smiled as Anna approached and kissed him on the cheek.

"Oh! He's not just a friend, I can see." I thought to myself.

"Who's this, Anna?" He said.

"That depends." She said, suddenly flinching. "Was I supposed to say that?"

I smirked. "Name's Asgeir." I said to the man. "But if you please, I'm under an alias for most of the castle."

The man nodded. "I get it. I'm Kristoff." He glanced at my hood. "Have we met before? I've seen someone wear a hood like that before."

I shook my head. "No. Never once met."

Anna nodded. "But maybe you saw a friend of his. The... club which he belongs to wears those hoods, and they've been friends of the trolls for a long time."

Kristoff's eyes lit up in understanding. "Grand Pabbie never let me talk to any of you, but I remember a few of them waved to me as they left when I lived with the trolls. Strange club you must belong to, Asgeir. So why are you here?"

Anna leaned in towards Kristoff. "He's that prisoner we had in the dungeon a week ago."

Kristoff's smile dropped from his face and shattered. "I thought he broke out. He came back? Why?!"

Anna gestured with her head to me. "He's got no other family left."

"Well he can-" Kristoff stopped. "Family? What are you-?"

"I'm Asgeir Swortssen, bastard brother of Queen Elsa and Princess Anna of Arendelle."

Kristoff shook his head. "This family of yours, Anna? It's never short of world shaking secrets. Your sister has ice magic, and you also have a long lost half brother."

* * *

><p>We were up in the lounge, the fire lit, while Kristoff tried to process this revelation. I just knew that he would not be the last to react this way to the story.<p>

"Why haven't I ever met you? How come you've lived separately from the sisters for most of their lives?"

I held my hand up to quiet him. "My life with the Assassins kept me from the sisters for so long. It was mainly shame holding me back from them."

Anna glanced at me. "Shame?"

"I kill people. Innocent or guilty, killing is never easy. The only thing that can get me to sleep in that rare night is remembering that those I kill deserve what I give them."

Kristoff threw his hands up. "Great. And he kills people. Anything else I should know?"

"I saved Anna's life."

Anna smiled. "It's true. Even Captain Terry of the guards was amazed at how quickly he dispatched those Templars."

Kristoff quickly glanced at me. "So what? He's your guardian angel?"

I scoffed. "No such thing exists. All I did was intercept orders and acted on stopping them."

"Well, I guess that's worth a 'thank you'. But are you staying here? Are you leaving?"

"Queen Elsa would rather I leave immediately, but Anna's insisted that I stay a bit." I replied.

"I hope you can welcome him, Kristoff. I think Asgeir will be a good part of this family."

"That's just what you thought out of Hans when you met him."

My smile dropped. Once again, compared to the slimy Templar wannabe. "Don't ever compare me to Hans, iceman." I snapped. "Hans sought to have Arendelle hunt down and kill my brothers at arms along with me. Trust me when I say that it wasn't just my sisters he would screw over."

Anna grabbed my arm. "C'mon." She said. "Let's at least forget about the 'H word' and walk around some more."

I didn't resist as Anna pulled me gently out into the stables. As soon as we were out of earshot, Anna piped up, almost squeaking.

"I'm so so sorry, Asgeir. I didn't expect such rudeness from everyone. I hope you can forgive me."

"Forgive you? I'm shocked you're defending me." I said. "Why even side with me? What have I done for you to side with me against Elsa?"

"Don't get Elsa wrong. She's not as...cold blooded as you'd expect."

I shook my head, snorting. "The puns are never short of bad, and never ending."

Anna nodded. "But seriously. Elsa will see what I see. I can do only everything possible to help people see what I see. After all, I wouldn't be around anymore if you hadn't been there."

* * *

><p>Elsa continued to ignore me throughout the days as I caught glimpses of her throughout the castle. Anna and I talked as often as we could, catching up. After a few days passed, I almost seemed to have known Anna for so long, and yet only met her a week ago. The daily routine became one where I would spend my days talking with Anna, and my nights on the roof. One night was different. As the borealis lit up on my fifth night, I felt a chill as I stood out on the roof. I slid down off the roof towards Anna's window. She wasn't alone in there.<p>

"-saying is that maybe you should give him a chance. You know? After he saved my life? He's your half-brother, too." Said Anna.

Elsa folded her arms. It was strange. In all my time at Arendelle, I never once saw her as the famous Snow Queen. She always wore either her royal dress or her nightgown from what I saw of her. I assumed that she was afraid of showing me that side of her, even though everyone knew about that side.

"Anna, what do you know of the Assassins?"

"So far? Not much. Asgeir's been really conservative about this whole war between them and the Templars."

"Well, I did my research. It turns our our father was part of this secret 'club'. He wanted us a part of it one day, too."

"No." Said Anna. "I won't befriend them. Not after they tried to kill me."

Elsa picked a book up from the desk beside her. It looked like she had set it down as she went in. She opened it, and turned to a point in the book. The book's black leather cover held the Templar's Red Cross on it. Whatever was in that book, I knew, would be heavily biased and prejudiced against us.

"'800 years ago during the Great Crusades across the realms," read Elsa. "'Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad went down as one of his people's most notorious and despicable warriors. Much of his allies remember him cutting down countless proud warriors in the worst ways. There was even a time when he killed his own Order's Mentor, and setting his body ablaze (which was considered blasphemous during that time.) His actions gave him the title the 'Great Altaïr' among the Assassins, proving that they are just as despicable as him.' We don't have to turn to the Templars, but this Asgeir can't stay. He's a criminal."

I had heard enough. Elsa was convinced that I was the bad guy, but it looked like Anna didn't believe her sister, judging by her expression. But all the same, I still climbed back up to the roof, thinking of how I could show Elsa that it was the Templars she should be fighting, not me.

Then, I heard a familiar cooing. It was a pigeon's cry. I cursed under my breath as I grabbed it, and pulled the note off it's leg. As soon as I did, it flew off while I read the note.

"Asgeir. Southern Twins approach Arendelle with swords drawn. Be prepared." It read.

"Bollocks..." I groaned.

The Southern Twins. Fritz and Franz (yes you read right. Their parents thought that naming their children like that would be cute and not stupid.) were Hans' older brothers. Numbers five and six in line if you were wondering. If they were coming to Arendelle like this with guns blazing, then they likely knew that I was here. Because they had been inducted into the Templars two months ago.


	3. Chapter 3: White Out

**A/N: Shorter update than the last 2, but not a lot happened in this episode. Also, I work regularly, so expect a few gaps in updates as I try to write goo quick as possible. I believe in quality, not quantity. But I'll do my best to get up to a good pace.**

Chapter 3: White Out

It was a day's journey to the farm that Anna knew of before we could get there. We stayed at the inn off the shore the night we arrived, and left at dawn. Anna and I discussed some of the other things on my mind as we walked across the field.

"So these 'Pieces of Eden'. Have I seen any of them?" She asked.

I fully intended on telling Anna everything on our secret war with the Templars one day. The Pieces of Eden, however dangerous they were, were part of the story, so it only seemed reasonable that I tell her of them.

"Not many. There are hundreds scattered across the realms. We hold one that helps us travel the realms with it's properties. There's tales of a wizard who holds a Dagger with powers not dissimilar to a Piece. As for me, I held one. Once."

"What was it like?" Anna asked.

"Strange. I could hear voices coming from within. They tell us of many things. What has been, what is, and what will be. Instructions to build things, too. The Hidden Blades were designed by someone from the early Order who held an Apple. They say that he went mad when he looked at the Apple too hard, and the Blades are based on a design he drew when he was in our cells."

Anna shivered. "It's a strange world we live in. Talks of Templars and magic Apples and a secret war. But we're winning now, right?"

I shook my head. "No one's ever sure. In Arendelle, we have won already. But the Templars always believe that even after checkmate is declared, they can still win."

"Hans." Anna said, curtly.

I nodded. "My spies have been keeping a watchful eye on the Southern Isles. Ever since he was pardoned by his brothers, the Templars have been restless. So far five of his brothers are already initiated, and of those five, three of them joined within the last year and, only four are left. Hans is hoping to be a possible replacement."

Anna shivered again, which was funny considering she was bundled up much too heavily for this kind of weather. While I wore my typical Assassin hood along with all my weapons, she was wearing her winter cloak, mitts, and hat.

My hood was something that changed as I did. When my last one was burned by the Templars after I was captured a year ago, Anna wanted to give some ideas for a new one. It was still white, with hints of green, like how Connor Kenway had hints of blue on his hood. My new one also had the traditional Rosemaling designs of Arendelle, but with a personal touch to it, to make it still look intimidating enough to work with my hood.

I chuckled a bit, still amazed at Anna's sensitivity to the cold as we approached the farmhouse. Maybe some part of her never truly recovered from her frozen heart.

"Here we go." Said Anna as we passed the sheep pen.

I looked around. "Yeah, this is definitely one of Kristoff's friends."

Anna laughed. "What makes you so sure? Your Sight?"

"No. All I'm saying is that there's a certain kind of place you'd find my friends. Same story with people like Kristoff. He knows people in this kind of life."

Anna nodded as she went up to the door. She knocked on it fairly softly.

A man answered the door. He had long scraggly hair and old peasant clothing. This man was practically shouting "Hey! I know Kristoff!"

I had nothing against Kristoff. In fact, I was happy for both him and Anna for finding each other. He would make an amazing husband for her. But there was just a type that he had with friends, family, and who he was.

"Hello?" Said the man. "Can I help you?"

"I hope so." Said Anna. "Are you David?"

He nodded suspiciously. "Yes." He glanced over at me in my hood. "Yes, I am."

* * *

><p>David stepped outside while Anna explained. "So I got your name from an old friend of yours." She said. "From Arendelle."<p>

"Arendelle?" Said David, in a pleasantly surprised tone. "You know Kristoff?"

Anna looked confused. "How do you know it's Kristoff?"

David returned the confusion as I watched them talk back and forth. "Uh, he's the only person from Arendelle I know."

Anna looked deep in thought. "Okay. He didn't tell me that." Then she put her foot in her mouth for the seven hundredth time that week alone: "Hard to be on a secret mission when you don't have all the facts."

I coughed hard, trying not to freak out. I usually have a cover story ready for missions like this, but since Anna planned this quest, I assumed she had thought of her own story. It was clear she needed training elsewhere than swordplay.

"What's the mission?" Said David.

"Well, I just told you: it's secret."

Time for my help. "Look, mate." I said to David. "Bottom line is that Kristoff told us that we can trust you."

"Just not with the mission." Put in Anna.

I noticed David look at Anna's hands while she spoke. He shrugged, playing along. "Okay. What are your names?"

I didn't miss a beat. "Connor." I replied.

Anna took a second before deciding her alias right on the spot. Lying was another thing she needed to have better practice in. "Joan." She said.

I smirked. Hang in there, Joan.

David also smirked. At both of us. "Those aren't your names."

I nodded, still smiling. "Clever man. That's good you were able to see through my lie."

Anna explained. "We had to give false names. It's for your safety."

David winced. "Are you wanted?"

Anna shook her head, but I laughed. "Of course I am! In seven different kingdoms!"

Anna slapped me lightly on the shoulder. "He's kidding." She laughed, then glared at me. "You're kidding." She turned back to David. "Lemme try to be clear here: secret mission, your safety."

Anna then shook her head in exasperation. "Let me start over: My name is Joan, that's my brother Connor. Can we sleep in your barn?"

David smiled. "Sure, Joan." He said sarcastically. "Anything for Kristoff's fiancé."

"Ring." I coughed loudly. I howled with laughter while Anna looked horrified when she looked at the ring on her finger. She forgot to put it away.

David waved it off. "Congratulations. I guess I'll find out your names at the wedding. Barn's out back, so you can just..."

David looked over behind us, trailing off. Someone was coming. A carriage drawn by horses, flanked by two men, also on horses. I saw who looked like a ditsy princess sitting in the carriage.

"Who's that?" Said Anna.

I heard stories, but I wasn't sure if that was the so called warlord. She didn't look menacing enough. I expected someone wearing a sheepskin over her shoulders and carrying a sword along with the other weapon in her hands.

"That is someone you don't want to mess with." Said David. "They call her Bo

Peep."

Those people who wrote nursery rhymes in the Land Without Magic really needed to get their facts straight, because she was way off from what I heard of her there.

While David walked up to the carriage as Bo Peep got out, I saw an older woman come out of the farmhouse, who I assumed was David's mother.

Bo Peep sneered as she walked up to David and his mother. "'Would you like a cup of tea, Bo Peep?'" She mocked in the stupidest sounding accent I had ever heard. "'Ow 'bout a cookie, Bo Peep?'" I had an accent that sounded a hell of a lot more believable than she did.

She held a large flowered crook close to her. When she approached, my Sight went off like fireworks at the powerful magic attached to it. It wasn't a Piece, but one thing was certain if she used that kind of magic I was seeing: Templar.

"'Oo's that?" She said, glancing at Anna.

Anna stood firm. "My name is Joan."

"Oh." Said Bo Peep. "Adorable. What 'bout the Assassin?"

I glared at her under my hood. How dare she address me like that, no matter what kind of fear she instilled. David and Ruth stared at me in a manner similar to how people stared at Elsa when she first let her powers get out of control. Some people just didn't like my kind. "Connor." I said, angrily to Bo Peep.

"Right." She said. "Connor." She repeated in a mocking tone.

Then she looked at Ruth and David. "You know what I'm 'ere for: my payment."

"Your extortion." David muttered under his breath.

Peep heard him. "Call it what you like." She said. "But you and your flock are only safe if you pay me what's due."

David looked down into the dirt while Anna glared up at Peep. I could take the shot right here and now with anything on me, be it my flintlock, or the new Rope Blade I had been outfitted with. But that magic from the crook was bothering me. It was powerful, but what could it do?

"It's been a slow month." Said David.

"How bout this." Said Peep. "You just figure out how to pay me what you owe me by tomorrow. At noon."

David, after glancing at his mother, shook his head. "You gotta give us more time."

Peep smirked. "I don't give anything." She said like a typical Templar. "But perhaps if you hand me your steed," she gestured to a hazel colored horse by the sheep pen. "I'll allow another day."

David kept shaking his head, but not acting as he should have. If this was my fight, I would have taken Peep down already. How could she make such an offer to take a valuable procession, and only give a day for them? It pissed me off at seeing those kinds of Templars strutting about like peacocks. I started to step forwards, but Anna grabbed my hand, and shook her head. "Don't." She murmured. "Not yet."

"No deal." Said David. "That horse never leaves my side."

"Then tomorrow, when I come back, if there's no payment," said Peep. "You keep the horse, and I take your farm!"

She slammed her crook down onto the ground. I felt it shake with the magic. It worked like an Apple, I could tell, but it wasn't made by Those Who Came Before.

"You can work off your debts as my slaves!" She sneered.

That was it. "You bloody Templar!" I cried out. "How can you even live with yourself as a slave driver?!"

Peep smirked at me. "Easy there, Assassin. The Father of Understanding guides me." She waved her hand at me, showing off her ring. Full Templar, as I suspected. "What good can your Creed do you now? You gonna kill me right here and now?"

"I'm considering it!" I said, turning the symbol on my blade. Anna grabbed my arm. I glanced at her, and she shook her head.

David tried to talk to his mother as I yelled at Peep. "Let's go." He murmured. "We can leave this place and start over."

Peep heard David, and jerked her crook. David and Ruth fell backwards onto the ground. Anna and I scowled as Peep's horsemen snickered at them.

"You can't go anywhere!" Said Peep. "You're branded now."

She pointed to her crook. "This stick is what helps me find my sheep, and now you're part of my flock. If you don't like it, pay me what you owe me, or this farm, and your lives, are mine!"

She turned towards her carriage and started away, with me yelling out every damning word I could think of at her.

* * *

><p>Later, I helped Ruth out as she rested in bed.<p>

"Are you alright, ma'am?" I asked as I poured her some tea.

Ruth smiled and nodded. "Thank you, young man. It's Connor, right?"

I nodded.

Ruth smiled. "It warms my heart when I see acts of kindness like this. To see someone like you stop to help one like me. It reassures me that there is still good in this world."

I nodded. "It's the honorable thing to do. I am taught to help those in need from people like that she-devil."

"She called you an assassin." She said. "Are you here to kill anybody?"

I held a cloth to her head. "Shh." I said. "No, that's a common misconception that the Templars enforce. I'm an Assassin, but not like most believe. I am part of an order of men and women that fight against people like her. For the freedom of all. She saw my hood and recognized it. It identifies me as part of the Order."

Ruth nodded weakly. "We could use help from someone like you."

I shook my head. "This is not my fight. It's your son's. Joan made that perfectly clear to me, no matter how much I want to hurt her as she has hurt you and your son. Injustice can't be fought by one individual, no matter what people may think. To truly succeed, everyone must fight for what they believe in, and not let someone else fight their battles."

As I walked out of the farm, I saw Anna in the middle of a conversation with David. She spoke up with one of her many sayings.

"If you know you're going to win, it's not a fight. If it's impossible, then you have to fight to achieve it."

David sighed as he threw feed into the pen. "Spoken like a naive young girl."

I scowled. "Hey! That young naive girl is my sister!"

David looked up in surprise at my sudden appearance as Anna kept ranting.

"Right! I am a young girl, and I'm missing my own wedding to go to a strange land to track down-"

"*cough cough*" this time I coughed a lung into my arm. Anna remembered just in time.

"-some secret mission things!" Continued Anna. "You're a great big road man who doesn't even need to leave his own home to tackle some random bully!"

David scoffed. "I am a shepherd, Joan. Sure, if someone picks a fight with me in a tavern, I can hold my own. This is a warlord with a private army. What good are my fists against that?"

Anna said it as I thought it. "Maybe try a sword!"

David laughed as he pitched hay into the pen. "I don't know what Arendelle is like, but here in the Enchanted Forest, most farmers don't do a lot of sword fighting."

"Well if it's help with a sword you need, I can do that!" Said Anna.

David kept scoffing at every suggestion Anna laid out. I was glad we didn't have guys like him in the Order. Peep and her allies would be controlling every farm in the land if we did.

"Kristoff show you that?" Said David. "Because using an ice pick to shave cubes for cold beverages-"

"No, David. It was me!" I said. "I'm one of Arendelle's most fearless Assassins, and Joan is my best student as well as my sister. We both can teach you!"

Anna nodded. "Exactly!" Then she said another one of her best lines: "You can always give up tomorrow."

David sighed, then nodded. "Let me finish with the sheep, then we can start."

Anna and I started back towards the house as David returned to work. Anna then perked up. "I'm really your best student?" She said, eagerly.

I smirked. "You're my only student, as well as my sister, Anna. Of course you are."

* * *

><p>I lent David one of my swords to practice with Anna. Despite them being one of the best made by Kief in partnership with a friend of his in Corona, I wasn't worried with it in the hands of David. I sat on top of the house as he and Anna banged away at each other. I had dueled him a few minutes ago, and easily bested him.<p>

I then noticed something wrong with David's form: he had his right side facing Anna while he held his sword in the same hand. I whistled, and Anna picked up on it, correcting it.

"Why is he up there?" Asked David.

"He did the same for me when he taught me. If he sees how one fights from above, it gives him a better understanding of what they should do."

Anna got ready for another quick spar, and David followed suit. He swiped at her and she somersaulted underneath before hitting him with the wide end of the blade. David fell against the door as I jumped down from the roof.

"Doing good." I said. "Let's go again."

David shook his head. "No. No more. I'm sorry, but if I can't beat either of you, how can I beat her army?"

Anna looked down at David. "Wow, you really like to give up."

David shook his head. "Look, I know you think you know more, but I have my experience too. I know about battles that can't be won. And right now the best hope for me, and more importantly, my mother, is survival."

I smirked. "What do you know, Joan. You were wrong. He really _really _likes to give up."

David stood up. "I like to survive."

"But it isn't _living_!" Said Anna.

"It's actually the definition of living."

"Yeah, if we're reading a dictionary, shepherd." I spat back. "What this is is pathetic and foolish."

Anna glanced at me. "Let me, Connor."

She approached David. "I went through the same thing with my sister. Scary things happened, and she did what you're doing; she hid. But the way she hid was by running away. She thought that was the solution to her problem but it wasn't. She needed a push, like you, to see that surviving isn't living."

David scoffed. "And you gave her that push?"

Anna stared hard at him. "I almost died doing it, but yeah, I did."

"You become Peep's slave?" I said. "That's the same thing as running away."

David shook his head and started walking away. "I'll lose everything if we fight."

"You'll lose more if you don't!" Replied Anna.

"Let me be the judge of what loss I can take!"

Some people lost their hope a long time ago when the Templars took it from them. But for someone to fight that possibility of returning freedom, and embracing a life in chains was what truly pushed me over the edge. To accept the Templars' presence, and let them do things like that to them was what I could never stand for.

"Stop being so stubborn, shepherd!" I snapped. "You know nothing of loss! You're just afraid of it!"

David turned to me. "Oh, you don't think I know loss?"

"Damn it, if you did you wouldn't act this way!"

"Loss is exactly why I'm acting this way."

Anna shook her head. "I think it's cowardice."

I glanced at Anna, nodding. She sure had teeth when she wanted to. But she regretted those words as soon as she spoke them.

"I mean...well yeah. I mean that." She said, solemnly.

David stared, then started his story of loss. "When I was six years old, I woke up one morning hearing my mother and father go at it. They fought a lot. Usually over the same thing: His drinking."

I had heard stories like this many times. And they only ended one way. David said how his father tried hard, fighting his battles with the bottle. Hell, Matthew had one of those phases when he had his guilt years.

"But this morning it was different. He wasn't yelling, he was crying. And he spoke to my mother. Words I will never forget: 'I will beat this'. He said 'I have to be better for the boy. I have to stop.' And he promised he would."

I admitted later I was wrong: David knew loss just like the rest of us. I lost my mother to a shipwreck and my father got his head given back to the Assassins, impaled on a spike by Agdar.

"Every few months we needed supplies. It was a two week journey that usually turned into a two week bender." David continued, sitting down. I sat beside him, but Anna stayed standing. "But he said he was leaving and he wouldn't touch a drop and in two weeks he would be back home. Himself again. Her husband, my father. We'd be a family"

Anna smiled. I gave off the slightest smirk, even though I knew the end. I knew the father was gone the second we stepped on the farm. Dead, or abandoned the family was my guess.

"My mother kept it a secret but I knew. Every morning for two weeks I woke with a smile on my face knowing my father would be back. So, on the fourteenth day, I arose and heard a knock at the door, and I opened it ready to hug my father."

What David said next made the smile from Anna's face vanish like a flash of lightning. "I was greeted by the local constable."

"Yeah, my father fought his battle. And for thirteen days he won. But on the fourteenth day, he spent his last night in a tavern, and they found his body in the wreckage of our cart. At the bottom of a ravine."

He stood up. "Some battles can't be won. Some forces are too strong."

Anna spoke up. "You had a lousy father-I mean, he was weak-I mean, you are not. You are strong."

"You don't know that!" Said David. "Both of you!"

"No." I said. "But I know that even the weakest souls have fought for what's right, and have won greatly over evil. Some of those souls I'm proud to call brothers at arms."

"I hope you're strong." Said Anna. "Look, we just need a night here before we continue on the journey. But Connor and I can stay here and help if you want. We can meet back here in the morning and we can continue training."

I nodded. "We both will be here for you, shepherd. But if you don't want us, then we'll just be on our way. Let's go, Joan."

We started back to the farm, defeated for the day.

* * *

><p>Bo Peep wasn't sitting on her arse while we trained. That night was one of the rare ones where I actually slept. But I woke to my Sight going off very early the next morning.<p>

"Anna." I murmured. "Wake up."

Anna's eyes snapped open as I glanced out the window of the barn. The sun hadn't come up yet, but the sky was firstly light. Just through the window, I thought I saw two people walk to the door.

I held up one finger to my mouth as Anna stood up. Then two fingers pointed to the door.

"Two outside." I meant to say.

Anna nodded as I raised my hood, and extended my blades. The barn door slowly creaked open as the intruders entered.

"They should be here." Said one of the men. "The Mistress wants them both alive. Be careful about the hooded one, though."

I ducked behind a bale of hay as the two soldiers crept in. Anna had climbed up into the hay loft, with a clear view of me, but out of the sight of the men. I gestured at her to drop down and take one out in the back. My chance had come to test the Rope Blade. I turned the symbol one click.

Like a lion, I jumped out at the prey obliviously coming towards me. I flicked my wrist. With my experience with the Phantom Blade, my aim was only a little off. But I still hit my target where I wanted: right in his eye. I flicked my wrist again, retracting my blade just as Anna slit the other guy's throat. She did it, but not with dry eyes.

I nodded. "Not easy, is it?"

Anna nodded. "I don't know how you can do it, Asgeir." She swallowed.

I nodded. "Later. There could be more. Let's go."

We both headed for the door, but in that split second, raised out hands at the sight that stood before us.

"'allo sweeties." Sneered Peep. She had a firing line of at least seven guards with their rifles trained on us. I raised my hands to surrender, while giving the finger on each hand to them.

"Looks like you both are mine." Said Peep as she strode towards us. She jerked her crook. I felt a burning inferno press down on my hands as it felt like I was getting handcuffed by the air. I knew it right there: I was branded along with Anna.

* * *

><p>Peep had Anna and I tied up in the barn of her estate.<p>

"I'm gonna enjoy this, Assassin." She snarked as I was tied up by my hands. "Let's see 'ow you can preach your anarchist freedom while working under the whip."

She turned to leave, but then glanced at Anna. She took three steps towards Anna, grabbed her snowflake pendant, and yanked it off. Anna shrieked as Peep did this, angered that her most prized possession was taken by a ditsy warlord. I cursed every damning word I could think of to Peep.

She left as soon as she was sure we both were secure. But as soon as her guards were gone, I undid the knots on my restraints without breaking a sweat.

Anna stood there, still tied up against the other post, bewildered. "How do you do that?"

I grinned as I grabbed by weapons from the table on the other side of the stables. "An escape artist from Agrabah passed on all his knowledge to me. Peep had her guards use a knot that is only known by seven in the normal criminal underworld in this kingdom, and it's used commonly with Templars to tie us up. But that's the specific reason why I know how to get out of them." I cut the ropes on Anna loose. She stood up, rubbing her wrists.

"Shouldn't we be prepared?" Said Anna.

"For what?" I said, testing her.

"They might come back."

I grinned. "I taught you well. Take the hay loft."

I hid behind one of the stables' walls, nocking an arrow on my bow. Outside I could hear swords banging and slashing. Five minutes after it started, I heard footsteps come up to the door.

"Get ready!" I whispered up to Anna.

The door swung open and I jumped up, ready to skewer the guards on my arrow. But Anna dropped down on the sole one to enter.

"Hey! It's me!"

"Goddamn!" I cried out.

It was David. He held out a hand, Anna's pendant swinging on his finger. "Got your necklace back!"

As David and Anna were talking, I sprinted out to the gazebo where Peep was. As I saw the crook, I grabbed it.

"You!" I called to Peep, tied up against the post, looking very humiliated. "How do I remove the brand?"

Peep smirked. "There is no way!"

I glared at her. All my life I refused to be chained. And when I die, I will be the one thing I wish everyone to be: free.

I drew my sword, and brushed it against Bo Peep's leg. "I'll only ask one more time. How do I take the brand off?!"

Peep shrugged. "I never bothered to ask the one who gave it to me."

I slid the edge of the sword across Bo Peep's leg. Not enough to cut the whole of it off, but there was so much blood that it got her to talk.

"Aaaugh!" She cried. "Blood! A blood sacrifice! The crook only needs a blood trade for liberty! And my consent!"

I slid my finger against my blade, then traced my finger up and down the crook's hooked part, leaving behind a red trail.

"You 'ave my consent! You are free!" She cried in pain.

"Thanks." I replied, feeling the magic chains lift from my wrists.

"Asgeir?"

I glanced up. Anna was right in front of me, looking a bit worried.

"Are you okay?" She asked. "What's the meaning of this?"

"I refused to be chained to anything, Anna. You know that."

Anna placed her hand on my shoulder.

"All the same, she isn't a threat anymore. Let's go."

She turned and started walking away. I would have, but I still had one more thing left to do. I walked over to Peep, grabbed her hand, and yanked off her Templar ring from her finger.

"May the Father of Understanding forgive your failure." I said, spitting.

* * *

><p>Soon after we returned to the farm, we were ready to get back on the road. I sheathed my swords as Ruth handed a parcel to Anna.<p>

"In case you get hungry on the way." She said, smiling.

Anna grinned as she opened it. "I love sandwiches!" She said.

I rolled my eyes. "Cute." I murmured to myself. I could never get any of my sisters' songs out of my head. And as I would learn some day, I wasn't alone.

"You changed him, you know." Said Ruth. "Both of you."

"David always was like that." I replied, shaking my head. "He just didn't know it yet."

David suddenly came round the corner just as Ruth whispered her thanks. "Connor. I could use some help." He called.

"Aye!" I replied as I came up.

David led me to a horse he was saddling. "Just need you on the other side to catch it." He said.

I did as he told me, catching the saddle as he flung it over the horse.

"David, you are an honor to the Assassins." I said. "You got both of us out of a sticky situation, and faced your fears. I'm grateful for that."

David nodded. "You showed me how to stand up for myself."

I smiled, reached into my satchel, and held out a small piece of parchment with the insignia of our Order to him. "Should you ever need help from me again, or anyone of my Order, only draw this symbol on a piece of parchment along with what you need of us and send a messenger bird. It will find us."

David nodded. Then he stopped as he saw what was on the parchment. "I've seen this symbol." He breathed. "You're the killer of all those slave drivers in town seven months ago. The White Reaper."

I bowed. "In the flesh."

David placed his hands on my shoulder. "If the White Reaper stopped and took time to help me, then I know that I can face whatever lies ahead. Thank you."

I smiled. "It was the honorable thing to do. Nothing is True. Everything is Permitted."

David and I went back around the corner, him leading the horse to Anna.

"What's this?" She said.

David gestured to the steed. "He's yours. To help you on your way."

"I thought he was something you could never give up?" She said.

"He's just a reminder. One I don't need or want anymore. He was my father's."

Anna stared at David in bewilderment. I just nodded to him.

Anna climbed up onto the horse. "Look at you." She said, beaming. "All heroic now."

David shook his head. "Still just a shepherd."

Anna grinned. "We'll just see."

I shook his hand. "You stay safe, David. We'll meet again one day."

David nodded, then looked up to Anna. "Not riding with her?" He said to me.

"No." I replied. "I take to the trees mostly. I do better on foot."

Ruth came out, and took Anna's hand. "Goodbye." She murmured.

I just barely saw the slip of parchment she put in Anna's hand as she let go.

We started off, myself walking beside the horse, waving good bye.

When we were far enough from the farm, I looked up at Anna.

"What's on the parchment?" I called up.

Anna jumped in surprise, and looked up. She was looking down at the slip.

"Ruth said there's a wizard who can help us with the mission." She said. "This is his name."

I asked the question with dread, knowing full well the answer before she said it. "Who?"

Anna looked down at the slip. "Rumplestiltskin." She read, slowly.

I thought I had seen the last of him long ago. I focused my Sight, and looked up to the sky, seeing that we were being watched by someone's Reflective Spell. No doubt by the imp himself. I could almost hear his malicious chuckling at what he planned to do to us when we arrived.

"Oh, bollocks." I murmured to myself.


	4. Chapter 4: Past-Gemini

**A/N: Hey! So I'm sorry for the lack of updating. (Hence I have posted two chapters). I have, however, been busy at work, and starting a seasonal fic for the holidays coming up. It will focus on Asgeir and the sisters with their first Christmas together, and I hope to have the first chapter up tomorrow. I also had forgotten to write more of the flashback chapters that accompany the events with Season 4, and therefore spent most of today working on this chapter right here. I hope you enjoy, and on that note, here we go!**

Chapter 4: Past-Gemini

The Templar Order of this realm truly were made of the slimiest bunch of nobles. Their leader was King George of the Western Valleys in Misthaven, with King Elias of the Southern Isles as his right hand. Some of the other vermin that made up his club were Queen Cora, with her daughter Regina soon to take a place beside her. Those are only a few of them that are easy to put faces to. The rest you wouldn't know. Elias was grooming his sons to become Templars, and with the end of his life in plain sight, he was ensuring that his efforts would bear more members of their Order, and in return, grant him the support to take the rest of the Island Kingdoms under his grip. But the others of the Order didn't trust his sons entirely. Hans was weaseling his way in, but when his plans to take the throne were exposed, his hopes were shattered, and Anna was put at the top of the list. And now that there was an Assassin in Arendelle, a lot of talk was arising. Could the Templars be losing their grip on Arendelle? Was it now Assassins who controlled it?

If Fritz and Franz were coming here, they were obviously sent by their father, and they would hide their true purposes by appearing to target Elsa and Anna. I needed to be on guard for their sake.

"Asgeir?"

Anna's fingers snapping brought me back to earth. I was sitting in the lounge with her, the board between us.

"You said you played well, but I expected you'd have made a move by now."

Anna gestured to the board. So far she had lost three pawns and a bishop. I lost only one pawn and a knight, but I saw an opening.

It was a week after I had gotten the message from Matthew. Anna had asked me earlier what kind of stuff I did for fun. I explained that as an Assassin, I didn't have much time to really smell the roses. I did find a fondness in poetry, and handled myself very well in a knife game I knew, but finally Anna and I found that we both knew chess. She had taught herself when she was nine, and I learned it as required by my training. Assassins learned chess to study the art of sacrifice, and searching for an opening in an opponent's defenses. And right now, Anna was wide open for an attack. I just hadn't made my move yet.

I moved my bishop forward just beside my pawns, and stopped there. Right now she was vulnerable for me taking her queen, and I was hoping she wouldn't see it.

It threw me off a little bit of the condition the king pieces were in. Both had the ornaments on the tops of their heads still on. In the Assassins, we usually snapped off the cross for obvious reasons. The pieces were of a beautifully hand carved mahogany, one a deep reddish brown, and the other a white comparable to porcelain.

Anna didn't see what I had planned. The ace up me sleeve. She moved a pawn forward from its starting position, but it was the one I wanted her to. I responded by charging my bishop through the pawns and into the queen that she never got the chance to move. The rooks were my worst enemies in the game besides the queen, but I could wait for them, despite the threat that they posed. Rooks proved to be a very aggressive piece in my opinion, so I always aimed to take them out quickly. The queen I would try to take out as well, but if my opponent played smartly, they would always keep their queen locked up tightly until the midgame approached. Anna was a smart player. Not as good as she aimed to be, but I could teach her.

"Is there something wrong, Asgeir?" asked Anna as I removed the queen from the board. She winced when she saw the mistake that she made.

"How can you tell?" I asked.

Anna moved her knight forward, just in front of my bishop. "I could always tell that Elsa was hiding something from me as we were growing up. I've almost become an expert in knowing if someone was hiding a secret from me."

"Sure." I said. I paused, trying to think of the words to put to Anna exactly what it was that was bothering me. "What do you know of the Southern Isle Princes?" I asked her, then quickly adding in "besides Hans."

Anna glanced into the fireplace, shaking her head. "I know that they all pose a threat to Arendelle now. Hans was cleared of all charges that the ambassador put on him when he returned to the Isles. Elias swore to Elsa that this was not over. He blamed me for something that happened between him and Hans."

"Did he say what?" I asked.

"No. He was very obscure. All he said was 'they forsaken him'. What does that mean?"

"I don't know." I said. But I did. Elias was talking about the other Templars.

Anna frowned. "You're lying." She said. "Does this have something to do with the Assassins?"

I looked down on the board, trying to avoid Anna's glare. "I can't say, Anna. I'm not trying to protect you, but I can't tell you what's going on."

Anna maintained her glare to me. "But can you tell me something at least?"

I did by asking another question. "What do you know of the Southern Twins as they are known?"

"I heard they're called the Gemini down there." Said Anna, sitting back in her chair. "Princes Fritz and Franz of the Southern Isles. They're the sailors of the thirteen, and even have their own man o war, also called the Gemini. Rarely seen one of them without the other close by."

Nice. So with two Templars on the way, then I had best do what I could to prepare for whatever they had coming. Although I only knew that they were coming. Not when they were coming.

"Why do you ask about them?" asked Anna.

I shook my head. "Just doing my homework. Get to know my sisters and their enemies."

* * *

><p>There is no Assassin Order in the Southern Isles. The Templars have too strong a grip on the kingdom to allow the Assassin any occupation in there. But it is one of the only places in the realm that has no Assassin influence. And there are more places that are influenced by us than the Templars. But what we have in our true north, we lack in big guns. Guns that Templars have.<p>

Elsa summoned me to her study later that day as I was swinging away at a practice dummy. The guard Forrester said she was asking for me. Elsa wasn't wearing her typical glare she had fixed on me for the past few weeks and a bit that we had known each other. She was at her desk, but she looked more worried than angry.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" I asked as I came in.

Elsa gestured me to the seat across from her. As I sat down, she slid the letter in front of her towards me.

"Can you explain this to me?" she asked

I turned the letter around, reading it carefully. It was a scout's report from the southern borders of Arendelle. A small fleet of warships was approaching Arendelle, flying King Elias' colors.

"Not much I can really say, Your Majesty." I said. "The Southern Isles had declared their allegiance against Arendelle months ago."

"But this seems different. There was another flag waving on the man o war. A Red Cross"

I winced, realizing that Elsa was lashing out against me one again. She blamed me just like always.

"It's clear to me that they're here for you." Said Elsa, her glare returning to her face. "I want you gone from the kingdom by this evening. I don't care who you are, or what you want out of us. You Assassins can't help but bring trouble wherever you go. I will make it well known that you are gone, and that will make sure that the twins, the Gemini, and it's fleet is turning it's tail right back to the Southern Isles."

I stood up. It was in that moment that I suddenly didn't see the point anymore. Why try to connect with Elsa if she would only see the bad that my cause did? At least she wasn't with the Templars either, in which case her throat would be cut open within seconds.

"By your command, Your Majesty." I said, bowing my head.

Elsa stood up, a small thump of her foot brushing against the leg of her desk. "I won't banish you either, but I request that you leave and don't ever show yourself to me or-"

The stained glass window off to the side of the office shattered. I threw myself in front of it, blocking Elsa from the shards. A couple shards grazed me, but I had been through much worse. Elsa seemed unhurt by the shards, because no blood showed. In that instant I realized that the thump I heard was actually the cannon fire from the ships. The twins were here.

Elsa lifted her hands from her head. We both rushed to the window. Every part of the fjord's waters was filled with gunships, the route out of the bay blocked. A massive man o war with sky blue sails with a yellow palm tree decorating it was charging the only frigate on Arendelle's side. She feebly sank, with no chance to stop it due to her being caught by surprise.

"Damn!" I called out. "Those bloody twins sure are going through a lot of innocents to get to me!"

Elsa put her hands to her mouth. "What are we going to do?" She gasped.

I scoffed. "'We'? I thought you made it perfectly clear that there is no 'we' in this. I was just leaving."

Elsa stared even harder at me, raising her hand. I saw it glow slightly. "If you really care for Anna, you will help us push back the twins."

I groaned. "Do you have any ships ready to fight?"

Elsa nodded. "We have one brig. It's old, but can do the job right."

"Good. I can take out most of those gunboats with the brig. In the meantime I would recommend staying here and keeping out of sight. I'll be back."

I jumped down through the hole and slid down the slanted wall to the courtyard, sprinting down to the dockyard. I recognized the brig as soon as it came into my view. She did look old enough, but she was well kept, and with a fair amount of guns and a decent hull. Workmen ran about the deck, trying to get her ready.

"Weigh anchor and quick, boys!" Called who I thought was the captain. "We need to get this ship ready to kick those Southern bastards back to their isles!"

I jumped aboard and up to the helm. "Hurry with that anchor!" I called. I turned to the man at the wheel. "I am here to help, Captain."

The man looked at me uneasily. "I'm not the captain. He was on the Ruby when she sank!" He pointed out to the only frigate we had, still sinking. The few desperate souls were either swimming towards shore, or climbing the masts.

I rolled my eyes. "I can take the wheel, mate!" I called. "Get that anchor out, and untie us!"

What felt like hours finally transpired, and we were free from the grip of the dock.

"Loose all! Let's get moving!" I yelled.

I looked around the deck at what the ship had in firepower. Two swivel guns beside me, and one mortar cannon. Not much to take the ship down, but I had good sea legs.

I had spent three whole years of my life in the far south of the realm, learning the ins and outs of sailing, eventually landing me at the position of first mate and a long time at the helm of the frigate I served on board, the Satan's Trident. My experience was enough that I could sink almost every ship in the fjord, if I was lucky.

Several of the gunboats were zeroing in on us, along with two fierce schooners. I pushed the wheel down, spinning the ship's broadside towards the boats.

"Ready!" I called out, the noise of the cannons being loaded up rising. I could see the other boats readying their own guns, but they would not have the chance to do so.

"FIRE!" I roared out.

The massive metal spheres soared out from the cannons and rained down on the gunboats. A number sank instantly, and the other set of them could do nothing as the fires and explosions set their sails ablaze.

I turned the ship around again, this time pointing the bow directly at the incapacitated vessels.

"Ready the frontside cannons!" I called out. "And FIRE!"

Several Southern Isle crewmembers desperately jumped overboard as the cannonballs blasted the boats apart, figuring that drowning or getting taken by Arendelle's troops would be a much better fate than dying in an exploding ship.

By now only one other smaller boat remained, and I had something special for them.

"Topsails! Gallants! Royals! Loose all!"

The ship rapidly began gaining speed as it sliced through the crashing whitecap waves through to the last schooner. The crew for a rat of a ship could do nothing but pray a quick death to come upon them as the ram cracked the entire ship in half, the masts forming an arch right over the ship like the gate of a mansion.

I smirked and the crew cheered. Good chunks of the attacking fleet were now left with the choice of swimming ashore and taken prisoner, or stay and spend eternity singing for Davy Jones. The remainder of the fleet was a small brig, and the Gemini.

I called over to the first mate. "What's your first name?" I called.

"Alonso!" He replied.

"Alright Alonso! I'm going to bring us close to the Gemini! I can take the deck and stop the ship if you can get me aboard!"

Alonso gave me the typical reaction to that psychotic plan. "You'll be skewered by their crew if you take them alone!"

I shook my head. "The hell I will."

Alonso took the wheel as I climbed up towards the swing line on the ship. The Gemini's crewmembers were getting ready to blow us apart with their massive cannons, but didn't expect the one man with all guts and no brains to swing on the line and stab two of them as the ship came around. They circled me as I got up from taking their dead friends.

"Assassin…" said one of them. "Didn't think you'd give yourself up to us."

"I came aboard your ship, but it means a far cry from what you seem to think I am here to do." I drew my cutlasses. "Who's first?"

* * *

><p>There's this misnomer among people in the Order. It's said by several that all we really are is just blood thirsty. But to tell you the truth, I hate blood. It's messy and hot and just disturbing and emotionally scarring. You take your first life, and you won't forget what it felt like when their blood ended up from their heart, onto your hands.<p>

The entire deck was drenched in blood after the battle was finished, and barely any of it was my own. Only the commander at the helm was left. He drew his blade, and smirked like the cocky bastards the Templars were.

"I'll only ask this once, wanker." I snapped. "Where are the twins?"

"Oh, you expect a confession out of me? That I will suddenly back down after you slaughtered my entire crew? That I will cower in fear and tell you exactly where to find my masters?"

I sighed, then pulled my flintlock out and shot him right in the face. "Yes, as a matter of fact I was hoping as such."

The commander fell back first onto the deck among the other bodies that littered the deck. Obviously the only safe place left in the ship was the captain's cabin. I walked over to the cabin's door, and kicked them in, sending splinters flying outwards.

The entire cabin was deserted, but I saw something that was obviously meant for me. It was almost as if the twins foresaw the response I would have towards their assault on Arendelle. I saw a number of massive powder kegs strewn out over the room, and two dummies sitting in chairs, with a note attached to them reading "Merry Christmas, Assassin bastard!"

The clicking gave it away. I had hit a tripwire when I kicked the doors in. In a flash, I flew across the cabin's floor, and smashed through the stern window. The man of war lit up in a massive display of explosions as I fell into the water, then swimming back towards the ship. Why would the twins sabotage their ship just to kill me? And where were they if not on their man o war?

The ship sailed back towards shore. I jumped off onto the docks, realizing that this wasn't over. The twins wouldn't go to all this trouble just to end up with my sisters or me unscathed. It was almost as if they didn't even try to fight us.

However, when I saw the Southern Isle soldiers with their rifles trained on the Arendelle guards, I knew this wasn't over. I drew my blades and stabbed two of the firing line guards from the left side. After a short battle involving the use of making every guard shoot their own troops, and impaling the last one on his bayonet, I ran up to the castle.

Elsa and a group of guards were in the courtyard, Elsa sitting on the edge of the fountain. She was crying, the water in the fountain freezing, and snow falling all around her. As she was sobbing I came up.

"Jayus, Elsa. What the hell happened here?" I said as the guards outside carried their wounded towards the castle.

Elsa looked up at me, frosty tears on her cheeks. She didn't look furious at me for the second time that day. She only gave me a look of pure misery. "Anna. They took Anna!"

I fell to my knees. Those pricks were counting on this. They used the invasion from the water as a ruse to snatch Anna. And as I found out later, they didn't stop there. They took Kristoff with them, too.

"Son of a BITCH!" I thundered, punching the ground. "GAAAAAAAAUUGGH!"

* * *

><p>"Our scouts are sweeping the woods for their camps." Said Kai. "There's no sign of them, but I would remain hopeful, Your Majesty." He knelt down in front of her, smiling a little. "It's what Princess Anna would want you to do."<p>

Kai turned to me. "I don't understand what you were thinking, Connor, but you truly are a brave soul to take on that man o war's crew on your own. You have my thanks."

I nodded, sitting down beside Elsa. I didn't know what to really say to her. Normal people would reassure her that it would be alright, and that we would find Anna and Kristoff. But I couldn't be certain of that. The Templars were cruel people, and they had only just sent assassins to kill Anna weeks ago. I had no idea of what they would do to Anna now that they had her. It would mean war for Arendelle if they killed her, though.

"Look, Your Majesty." I said. "I know you blame me for this-"

"Don't." Said Elsa. "It isn't your fault, it's mine." Elsa sniffed. "I should have seen this coming. Ever since Hans, King Elias has made it his mission to take Arendelle from us. He thinks that this kingdom shouldn't be run by a blonde queen with ice magic and a bumbling fool of a sister." She glanced at me. "His words, not mine."

I smirked. "It would be much worse with me pulling the strings in this kingdom. I've spilt too much blood to really remember what death means for most souls. I'm a bastard born of lust, not love. I believe in anarchy, not the system of a controlling government or monarchy, and yet I try to connect with my only living family who are the only remains of Arendelle's royal family. And to top it off, I'm a- oh, what did you call me?- a cold hearted killer. I'm an Assassin, and the Southern Isles royal family are Templars."

Elsa seemed confused by my statement on anarchy. "I don't understand. Why try to connect with me? I'm the one in control here. This is order, not anarchy. Everyone is under my command to do what I say when I say it. No one is running wild causing chaos or openly opposing what I do with this kingdom."

"That's not what anarchy means." I said. "I believe in what a famous anarchist woman who once believed in. 'Anarchism stand for the liberation from the human mind from the dominion of religion and liberation of the human body from the coercion of property; liberation from the shackles and restraint of government. It stands for a social order based on the free grouping of individuals.' I believe that chaos and anarchy are two very different things. Anarchy means that everyone is free to do what he or she wishes to do, and are free to think whatever they want to think. It means that we can help each other without the obligation to do so simply because you or whoever it is that is in charge desires them to do so." I placed my hand over Elsa's, the chill spreading onto my hand. I ignored it, gazing into Elsa's pale blue eyes. "You desire a better world. One where people are free to choose what path they want to do. Am I right?"

"Yes."

"This is what the Assassins aim to do, and this is what the Templars aim to oppose. They want to build a world where they control everyone and make them think whatever they want. I joined the Assassins not just because my father was a legend in their past, but because I can't sit by knowing that I am capable of breaking the chains put down on the weaker souls. I can make a difference and bring hope to the ones who wish to be able to think for themselves. It may be our methods that are questionable, but let me ask you something very important, Elsa: is there any way to move a mountain aside from destroying it completely? The only true way to ensure that the Templars never hurt another soul is to take them away from this life altogether. I need you to understand that."

Elsa wasn't listening anymore, focused on the cawing that was becoming louder and louder. A raven landed before her foot. She was about to grab it when I pulled my flintlock and shot it. Elsa jumped back in surprise.

"What was that for?!" she cried.

"They train these birds to go right for the eyes once the receiver takes the note." I said, grabbing the raven's note. "It would have clawed your eyes out if given the chance."

Elsa read the note after I handed it to her. "It's their demands." She said.

"What do these bloody arses want?" I asked.

Elsa frowned, though much more directed to them, and not me. "The one thing they won't have: the throne."

* * *

><p>The twins had given us the location with which we were to meet. No guards, just Elsa and I. I knew the woods well enough that I could guide Elsa to the place. She and I trudged through the woods, Elsa angrily brooding over the twins.<p>

"They threaten my kingdom, shoot their guns at my people, and take my own sister from our home. They will know why I am the Snow Queen soon enough." She growled. I could hear the ground crackle and freeze with every step that Elsa took. I took out my flintlocks, making sure they both were loaded before holstering them again.

I always enjoy playing judge, jury, and executioner in these kinds of fights against Templars. However, given Elsa's distress, along with the sad truth that she never knew what taking a life truly meant, I had my doubts that I could let her kill either twin. Elias would surely have a reason to declare war against Arendelle if she did such a thing. However, against me, he would declare war on the people that lived in the darkness, ensuring that no innocents could be hurt.

The camp's torches cast large shadows on the tents from the trees. Southern Isle soldiers drew their rifles and aimed them at us as we entered the camp. But no one dared try to fire at either the Snow Queen or the White Reaper.

Fritz and Franz stood at the center of the camp with a fire between the four of us. It was a clear distinction of who of the twins was who. Fritz was bald and clean-shaven, with almost no hair on his head, spare his eyebrows. He was the older of the two. Franz had a thick black beard clinging to his square jaw. Both twins held either Anna or Kristoff at gun point with one arm wrapped around their neck.

"Finally decided to show yourself, Assassin!" called out Franz, smirking.

I lowered my hood, my narrowed eyes not daring to drop from the prick that now held my sister in his grasp.

"Let my sister go, twins!" cried Elsa. "This has gone too far already! We don't need war! This has nothing to do with either her or me! It has to do with the Assassins, and you attempted to invade my kingdom!"

"Exactly, Your Majesty." Spat Fritz. He pointed the gun at me. "We have a score to settle with him. This Assassin is considered a legend throughout his kind. The rest of us whisper his name in fear. But we would go down in history if we took him out. And the easiest way to do that was threaten an innocent!"

Fritz jabbed the barrel of the gun up against Anna's chin. Anna whimpered while Kristoff winced.

"We figured the easiest target was the most innocent person that our dear father could think of!"

"Let them go, fools!" I cried. "We both know that neither one of you are walking out of this alive. So I'll give you one chance. Drop your weapons, walk away, and crawl back to that set of cesspools you call the Southern Isles. Let the sisters go, because this truly has nothing to do with them."

Fritz flashed in anger. "This has everything to do with them just as it has to do with you! We won't give our baby brother the chance to take Arendelle, so we'll do it ourselves, and give you to our father. Now..."

Fritz jabbed the barrel of the gun against Anna again. This time Elsa spoke up.

"Stop! Just take him, and we can be done here. Asgeir for them."

Elsa would trade me away for her sister. While it hurt, I understood. But that trade wouldn't go down.

Franz smirked. "What do you think, brother? A fair trade?"

"Not even close. I'm settling the score with the Assassins. Let them realize that we hold Arendelle in ours hands already by taking it from this freak." Fritz gestured towards Elsa as he said this. I could see a tear fall down her face at that word. "Freak" sounded worse than "monster".

"Just watch how weAAAAAAAA!"

Elsa turned suddenly towards me. My arm was held up towards Fritz, with my Phantom Blade's crossbow open, missing the blade that was just in it moments ago. Now embedded in Fritz' shoulder.

Pandemonium erupted. Anna darted for us, and Kristoff elbowed Franz in the face. He ran for cover just as Anna ran into Elsa's arms.

"Elsa!"

"Okay, fannies!" I called out. "Negotiations are over! I'm going to give you all a chance to avoid getting every single one of your bloody gobs filled with steel. Drop your weapons now!"

The soldiers were not so cowardly. All of them drew their steel and prepared. The first one swiped his sword out widely and I tuck and rolled under, slashing my cutlasses across his back. I pulled out my flintlocks, shooting two other guards directly in their heads. The remainder of the soldiers all came in at me at once, but not one of them went without meeting the end of my swords.

The twins stood before me, both of them with their swords drawn, and Franz holding a flintlock in his other hand.

"How shall we deal with this Assassin, dear brother?" Said Fritz.

"I think that it's long past time we gut him and take his remains to our father. He would die at peace to see Asgeir's bones in front of him, rotting like an old apple."

Then I realized it. I had planned on killing both brothers, but I saw something else that would inflict much more pain and misery on them for less bloodshed. Half, in fact. But I needed a shot and I was out. The twins would not give me the chance to reload before I would have to take them both out.

I looked around quickly, thinking out my plan. I needed another gun, which I found halfway between the twins and myself, in the hands of a once living guard. Time to finish this.

Franz tried to shoot me, but I darted quickly enough that he missed miserably. I dropped to the ground, sliding across the dirt I grabbed the pistol still in the dead guard, pulled it out, and shot Franz right in the kneecap. Then I went for Fritz.

"NO!" Cried Franz, but too late to beg mercy on his best friend and twin.

* * *

><p>Fritz knelt down in the dirt, the blood from his neck drenching his cloak. His white gloves were slowly being dyed with crimson as he tried to stop the bleeding.<p>

"I had a chance to prove myself, Assassin." He gasped. "You easily get overlooked by many if you're the fifth in line for the throne. I was the sixth along with Franz to be inducted into a real cause!"

"Real cause, yes, but nowhere near a true one." I replied. "I seek a better world with the Creed. It's not a true form of peace and virtue, but it is the first steps towards a world with it."

Fritz laughed weakly, coughing up blood. "Remind yourself of that, when you stand at the top of the mountain of bodies, and you've obtained this twisted version of peace that you seek. I'm not alone in my efforts. My family will cry for war on the Assassins for this. You will not obtain your peace through blood and steel. You took more than my life. You took the one thing from me where I truly felt I belonged somewhere." Fritz fell back, dead in the dirt.

"To be a part of something bigger than oneself doesn't always mean that it's noble. Hvil I Fred…"

I grabbed the ring off of his hand just as I stood up from his dead body.

* * *

><p>"You bastard!" cried Franz. "I will kill you for this!"<p>

I saw that I could give the twins what I really wanted by taking away from each of them the one thing that made them the twins: the other. Fritz was ballsier than his twin, and therefore posed more of a threat. And he was also the one who had my own sister in his grip and threatened to kill her.

"Oh, shut up!" I extended my blade and pointed it at his neck. There was nothing he could do to stop this, as he was more focused on keeping the blood from his gunshot wound draining out. "And pass a message on to your family of shites. I will kill every last one of them if they so much as put a rowboat in Arendelle." I turned my flintlock over in my hand, and slammed it over Franz' face, knocking him out.

Anna stood back a few feet behind me. She was still shaken from what transpired. "You killed him…" She said.

I nodded. "There wasn't any other choice left, Anna. They wouldn't show any mercy on either of you. I promised myself and the Order that I would protect you as best as I could, and I will do whatever it takes to protect you."

Elsa approached me slowly. "One week." She said. "If you can truly prove to me that you don't mean us harm within one week, I will consider letting you stay."

I bowed my head. "Thank you, Elsa."

* * *

><p>We returned to the castle at dusk. I spent the remainder of daylight in my room, staring at the ceiling. I didn't feel like going down for supper when the time came, and I just lay on my bed in silence. I had killed the first out of the Southern Isle Templars. If I continued on this path, I could eventually bring the true north to the Southern Isles and free them from their iron grip.<p>

"Asgeir?"

I raised my head. It must have been well past dark, because Anna was in her nightdress, with a candle and it's holder in her hand. She sat at the edge of my bed. I sat up.

"How's Kristoff doing?" I asked.

"He's okay." She replied. "He's a little shaken, but I had the worse side of it."

I winced. "I wish that I was there, Anna. I could have stopped those scrubs from taking you right from here."

"That's why I'm here. It's not your fault for what transpired." She said. "I feel like I could have stopped them before they grabbed me. That there are a few things I could have learned to stop them from taking me."

This was leading to something, I realized. Something I wasn't sure about. "What are you asking me?" I said.

"I want to learn how to use a sword." She said. "And I want you to teach me." She paused. "Will you?"

I stared at Anna. She was taking a step. A step towards a path that I knew she would not turn back from. But she was right in one light: she could have defended herself, but she didn't know how.

"Yes." I said.


	5. Chapter 5: Rocky Road

**A/N: This chapter is supposed to take place exactly during the events of Rocky Road, and features characters who I think are clearly Assassins in the Enchanted Forest.**

Chapter 5: Rocky Road

The morning sun cracked through the trees as I wiped the dew off my face. Anna lay sleeping under the trees while I hunted for our breakfast. I heard the quiet pip of a morning bird as I slipped between the trees. Eggs could be good if they were clean enough. I looked around for the bird's nest, but got something else.

A pigeon flew right up to me and perched on the branch next to me. He had a note tied to his leg. I took it from him, then it flew off.

_"Master Asgeir._

_The news in Arendelle has gone from bad to worse. In the past week since you and Princess Anna have been gone, Queen Elsa hasn't been able to focus on anything aside from finding you. We're doing all we can to stall her just as you asked, but sooner or later she will find out that you put us up to avoiding your search._

_What's more, Prince Hans is in Arendelle now with a number of his brothers. Franz is among them, and he is looking for you. We will do what needs to happen. Only say the word."_

Anna didn't know about this. If Hans wasn't dead by the time we returned, (or IF we returned. I was concerned that we would never see Arendelle again.) we'd be walking right into the hornet's nest. I didn't give the messenger's note just one word. I wrote two on the back of the note: _Take them._

* * *

><p>I jumped down from the trees just as Anna was stirring. She smiled as I put a couple logs on the fire. A successful hunt came with me.<p>

"Morning." She said.

"Morning." I replied. "Hope you like eggs."

Anna nodded. "Sunny side up."

When the eggs were ready, I decided that the time was as good as any. Rumplestiltskin was watching us, and he may already know about the beans.

I looked around cautiously. Someone with my abilities could easily tell if someone of the Imp's abilities was watching us. We were still a three days journey from his castle.

I pulled out the pouch from my satchel, and held it out to her.

Anna looked up from her breakfast. "What's that?"

"Look in this, but don't touch the contents. And don't say their names. You know what they are."

Anna looked at the bag with suspicion, then grabbed it. She zipped it open, and peered in. Then she looked up at me.

"Is that-?"

"Exactly what you think they are. We Assassins carry them on our persons for a last resort. Now I need you to listen to me closely, Anna: He is not to be trusted. He will no doubt have the answers we seek, but you need to be really careful with him."

"You've met him?"

I nodded. "You have no idea the amount of contracts people have signed to kill him. But I've gone through enough attempts to know that he is immortal. He can't even be wounded. I tried to kill him once, and afterwards we called an uneasy truce and just decided to move on. Believe me when I say it was easier than most."

Anna shook her head. "Everything has a weakness. What's his?"

I bowed my head. "Even if I told you, which I won't, it would be pointless: he holds a Piece of Eden that gives him his powers, and he guards it with every living bone in his body. We'd never be able to get it."

The Piece he held, the Dagger, worked unlike any other I had seen before. It could work like the Apple, but with a twist: it could only control him. But it was the rewards that it yielded that could really make it different than the Apples or the Staff. He could only be killed by the Dagger stabbing him. Whoever killed him with it would gain his powers, that which could oppose even gods. All seeing, all knowing, all powerful, and never aging. I could only dream of the chance to truly match him. But to do so, I would need magic, something not worth the price.

"But this person could help us with Elsa and why our parents were on the voyage?"

"I would advise we find someone else, but yes. He can help us."

"Then what choice do we have?" She asked.

I stared at her, then sighed. "Not much."

"Why did you show me the package?" She asked, handing the beans back to me.

"It's well known by us in the Order that he plans on trying to travel to another land. One that I have been to many, many times over: A Land Without Magic. I don't know what he plans on doing there, but it must be nowhere near from good. He may be planning on unleashing an almighty evil on that realm, or start another war after they've suffered from several already. So I need you to know about this, because I am going to bury the beans."

Anna nodded. "You're going to hide them so that he can't take them from you. Good plan."

After burying the satchel, and rigging a trap for anyone else, should they try to dig them up, we set off. But I took one with me, and hid it in my boot's heel. I would need to come back for the beans, and a portal there would be vital.

"Why do you want to know about Elsa's powers?" Asked Anna.

I stopped suddenly. "What are you talking about?"

"You've got several reasons to accompany me: the Templars are after me, you're my brother who wants to spend some time with me, you can't sit still, etcetera, etcetera. You clearly have the same questions I do."

I nodded. "Yeah. And I have something to prove."

Anna looked back at me. "Who do you have to prove to?"

"The Coronian Assassin Order. They and the Arendelle Order have a close alliance since we used to be part of them. After Elsa gave us the resources, we started our own wing right in the kingdom. But ever since Ryan, they've had a hard time trying to move past it."

"But you provide the Assassins with tactical support with our spies. You send them out to throw off our enemies."

"Doesn't matter. They personally are afraid of Elsa. They aren't the only ones, and they know it."

Anna frowned. "Those guys need to grow up. Do they even know Elsa?"

"No. And they don't care. Some of us in the Order are afraid of magic. I don't have a problem with it. It all depends on the person. It's not magic that hurts people: it's who controls that magic that hurts people."

We started on our way again, doing what we could to avoid Queen Regina's Black Knights.

"Gosh." Said Anna. "This is nothing like Arendelle."

I nodded. "Welcome to one of my worlds. The queen has a bounty on my head right now."

Anna glanced down at me. "You weren't kidding, were you?"

"She has every right to put that bounty on me because of a simple reason."

Anna rolled her eyes, realizing she should have figured it: "She's a Templar."

"Every monarch of the seven kingdoms that have placed the bounties on my head are Templars. The worst of all is King George. He's tried to kill me personally many times."

"Asgeir, you really need to be spending more time home. You wouldn't be ticking off so many people if you were."

I nodded. "But I would be an Assassin before I am the Royal Spymaster, or even a prince. It's the life that I live. And people like King George need to be put down by me."

Suddenly, I heard a familiar cooing. I snatched the pigeon right out of the air before he clawed my face off. Anna looked down with interest.

"What is it?"

I looked down at the note, smiling. "Up for a little excitement?" I said to her.

* * *

><p>I pulled back the brush to the road. My spies were right. This road would be ideal for an ambush on a target coming this way.<p>

This message came from my Double Headers. They were a third type of contact I had in my connections with the Order. Elsa agreed to having me hire several Assassins to be spies for Arendelle, giving them the resources they needed, and I had better spies. They got their name for a simple reason: they wore the head of a spy, and an Assassin. Double Header.

The message said that a royal convoy was on the road heading right towards us, carrying over a hundred thousand Gold Pieces, and one of our big targets. Intercepting and taking out the convoy to kill the Templar could prove beneficial, especially with Anna and I out in the open with giant targets on our backs in desperate need of taking out prying eyes.

I darted back to Anna, sitting on David's old horse. "It's risky, but no doubt you and I can jump them with the right plan."

Anna slid off the steed. "What's the plan?"

"Hope it involves us!"

Anna and I jumped as I pulled my blade out. Six men in green hoods stood before us, two of them with bows. They pulled their hoods down to smiling faces.

"Thought we'd meet up again, Asgeir!"

I couldn't believe it. "Rob!"

I grabbed the blonde's hand in a shake as he approached, laughing. As soon as I let go of his hand, I felt a hundred pound force lift me up and crush my ribs.

"Ow! Okay, Little John!" I cried. "You can put me down!"

Robin laughed again. "Little John, you can put him down."

Anna snickered as John set me down. "Friends of yours, Asgeir?"

I grinned as I put my arm around Robin's shoulder. "Anna, this is legendary thief, Assassin, and Mentor to the Merry Men Wing of the Order, Robin Hood of Nottingham. Robin, my sister, Princess Anna of Arendelle."

Robin grinned at Anna. "The famous Princess Anna." He took her hand, bowed, and kissed it. "A pleasure." he said, slyly.

Anna blushed as I rolled my eyes. Always the charmer, Robin, even with his wife Marian. I only met her once, and she was just as much a fighter as her husband.

"So you got the same message I did, Robin?"

"Aye." He replied. "The caravan is transporting one of Prince John's closest allies and over a hundred thousand gold pieces."

"Prince John." I groaned. "There's something about you that makes me think you and him were destined to be each others' worst enemies in our war."

"You said it. So the caravan approaches?"

"In an hour according to my spies. They'll be crossing through on this road. I was just going to go over the plan with Anna."

Robin laughed. "No offense to your skills, Asgeir, but without us, you'd have no chance against the caravan. They just had a recent update in their armory. Those new rifles will punch holes in your armor. A two person assault wouldn't work out, and neither would six. Eight, however, is perfect. Can I count on your help?"

I was excited to be working beside Robin once more, but I knew one thing. "We both want different things out of this, Robin. You're raiding this caravan to take the gold. I'm in it for both the gold, and the Templar. Neither are escaping my reach."

"Agreed. Now I hope Anna knows something about diversionary tactics?"

Anna shook her head. "Asgeir's only been teaching me the offensive skills so far."

Robin smirked. "Indeed. Care for a crash course in Diversions 101? Alan!"

Alan-A-Dale, the minstrel of the Merry Men walked over. "Real simple, Highness." He said to Anna in his old southern accent. "Just stand by me, and hold out yer hand for coins."

I grinned. "Beggar's Sleight of Hand. A modern classic!"

Anna looked at Alan confused as he gave her an old tattered burlap hood.

"Don't let them see your sword, and don't say a word. Let me do the talkin'."

"Excellent, Alan." Said Robin. He placed his bow on his shoulder. "The rest of us, take positions in the trees. Asgeir will go first."

* * *

><p>Right on schedule, the convoy appeared. It had four soldiers leading with their rifles in their hands, flanking a large chest being pulled on a platform carriage by two slaves. Very small boys with that look of despair in their eyes.<p>

"We break their chains along with the gold and whoever's in that carriage, agreed?" I said.

Robin nodded. "Those lads will do fine with me."

There were four other soldiers on horseback flanking the carriage. The hubcaps on it's wheels bore the Red Cross of the Templars. They just couldn't resist showing off, could they?

Alan and Anna stepped out onto the road as Alan started playing his song.

"Just a couple peasants on their way into the village/oo de lally oo de lally/ golly what a day." He sang.

Anna held out her hands, the hood covering her head, but her braids were sticking out. I was worried it would blow our cover.

"Alms..." She murmured. "Alms for the poor."

That was my cue. I jumped down from the tree behind the convoy as it stopped. The back of the convoy was taken by two more guards on horseback. I flicked my wrists, the Rope Blades pulling them off as their heads fell into the muck. Then I stuck my swords into them to make sure they didn't get back up.

"What's this?!" Cried a snooty voice from the carriage. "Who dares stop the convoy!"

The coachman looked down into the carriage window. "Pardon sir. But it's beggars."

"I don't care!" Cried the voice. "We cannot spare a piece to them. Don't even consider it. Carry on!"

Anna didn't move, and neither did Alan. They both held their hands out, silently pleading for kindness from them. Anna knew what I knew: that voice sounded familiar.

The guard at the front of the convoy glanced at them. I couldn't see what expression covered his face from the back, but judging what he did next, it wasn't sympathetic. He loudly spat towards Anna and Alan.

Anna dropped her hands in shock. I glanced over at Robin, who was silently taking out one of the rear guards. He waved his signal to me just as I did the same.

I stuck my blade in between the carriage's door and the frame, and snapped it open. Then I slipped in, pulling my flintlock out.

"Hello, mate!" I called out as the passenger shrieked like a little girl.

He had light gray hair and a matching mustache, with little glasses on his nose that seemed to magnify his eyes to the size of bowling balls. He wore a black coat with a red sash. I smiled at the pleasant surprise of the identity of my target.

"The Duke of Weasel Town! A pleasure!" I smirked as the Merry Men emerged from the trees to get the guards.

"How many times must I say it: it's Wesleton!" He cried out. "Show some respect, Assassin."

Robin stomped loudly on the roof of the carriage as he stood up on top of it. "Alright, lads! We're taking everything they have! Asgeir! You have our target?"

I looked up towards the roof. "Right here. He's not going anywhere. Anna!" I called for my sister.

Anna ran over, and her eyes widened at the sight of the Duke. "He's one of them?" She exclaimed.

I nodded. "Knew about him for a good four years now. He's not really a member as much as a sniveling moron in the lower ranks."

The Duke stared hard at me and Anna. "It's so like you to keep to the company of monsters, Princess Anna. How is your sister by the way?"

Anna glared at him, ready to jump him. I held my hand over to cut her off.

"Not until Robin and the others have all their gold. Then you can punch him."

Anna nodded as she backed off.

I leaned forward, my flintlock dangerously close to the Duke's head. "I'm only going to ask you this once, Duke. So you better answer me truthfully: King George. What is he planning?"

The Duke nodded as he quivered. It looked like he regretted his choice of words from what he said last. "He's been scouring the kingdoms. He needs a bride for his son to ensure their bankruptcy is finished."

I scowled. Prince James was the carefree son of Prince George. While I had never seen James, or a portrait of him, I knew that his father was teaching him the ways of the Templars. George was my head target to kill once I had eliminated enough of his influence over the realms. Ezio had Cesare, Connor had his father, and I had George and Elias.

Robin appeared in the door of the carriage. "All the gold is in our satchels." He glanced at the Duke. "You will feed Nottingham well, Your Grace. You should be proud of your generosity."

Anna leaned over, socking the Duke in the jaw. He cried out, almost ready to bawl his eyes out like a little kid. Anna laughed as she got out of the carriage.

"You're not coming?" She said to me.

"He's still a Templar, Anna. I need to do this."

Suddenly, the Duke stepped over and punched me in the throat. I fell over onto the floor of the carriage, my head hanging over the stairs in the door of the carriage, while the Duke started screaming.

"Help!" He cried. "Move the carriage! Move!"

I heard a "hiyah!" And felt the carriage jerk as it shot off. Robin hadn't bothered to remove the coachman like I had thought he did. Anna yelled for me, but I was so shook by that very hard punch, I couldn't respond.

Robin and the Merry Men sprang into action, jumping onto a few of the horses that were part of the convoy. Anna joined Robin on his horse as they gained on the carriage. The rest were taken by the unarmed guards as they headed off to protect their lord.

The Duke held me by the collar of my hood. "You could have shown true greatness, Assassin! Joined us instead of continuing the damned legacy of your father!"

I bared my teeth and head butted him. "Don't talk about my father like that!" I cried out as he staggered back, his nose bleeding. "He ate rats like you for breakfast!"

"Asgeir!"

I looked out the open carriage door as Anna and Robin rode up. Robin stared at me with certainty.

"Do what you do best, Asgeir." He said.

I nodded, and pulled my bow off my shoulder. I nocked an arrow, but as I pulled the string back, I looked up to see only an open door on the other side. Did the Duke bail?

I looked out the door to see him literally squawking like a parrot at me as one of his guards had him on horseback. All the rest had their pistols trained on me or the other Merry Men.

I climbed up onto the top of the carriage. The coachman was up there, and he was ready for me. He swung at me with a rifle's broken bayonet, trying to knock me off. I then pulled a quick movement to avoid the coachman, and take out one of the guards.

I jumped, falling straight downwards to the edge of the carriage. I grabbed the ledge with my right hand, spun left with precise speed on a pivot, and open fired on the guards with the flintlock in my left hand. The coachman had tried to swing at me so hard, he fell off as I grabbed the edge, and ended up on the ground as the guard I shot fell.

"Get him!" Cried the Duke. "He's a monster!"

That asshole really liked to use that word for my family. I furiously vaulted up to the carriage roof, formulating the end of the scheme. The Merry Men had their gold, the guards had most of their weapons taken, and now all that really remained was killing the Duke. I knew just how to do it, too.

Quick as Robin taught me, I took out my bow and pierced three guards on the horsebacks, one by one. Each flew off his horse as the arrows shoved them off into the dirt.

"Stop him!" Yelled the Duke. "He must not escape!"

But I wasn't trying to escape. I pulled out my air rifle. I often thought of Shay Cormac and how he used it whenever I looked at it. The only thing I truly respected him for was that his use of it forced us to put our focus into perfecting stealth weaponry like the rope dart and going back to old fashioned weapons like the bow. I also had a grenade launcher attached to the rifle, just as he had.

Keif was always trying to test new types of projectiles for our weapons, and this was a recent invention. A cratering grenade. It was exactly what I needed. As it sounded, the explosive would cause a massive crater to form in the ground, potentially stopping any big threats. Soldiers in the Land Without Magic used these to combat tanks. It would be too obvious to try and shoot at the Duke. He would anticipate something like that, and I only had one shot. I had a better idea.

I took the reins of the carriage, and picked up speed. "Hiyah!" I cried out. The horses picked up speed to a blur. The forest off the road seemed to fade into a dark green canvas with patches of light from the sun cutting through the trees.

The Duke and his men followed suit, gaining on me. I watched them, but not to give them a death stare. I was brushing up on my physics.

Anna, Robin, and the Merry Men were right behind the guards. Little John pulled out his bow, readying to shoot.

"No, Little John!" Called out Robin. "Let Asgeir do this. I think he has a plan."

Indeed I did. But I would need to tap into all my abilities from the Assassins. Could I pull it off? I didn't want to think about calculating the odds of reaching this, but my chances seemed very low. But I wasn't calculating odds. I was calculating velocity.

As soon as I knew I was at the right speed, I did it. I unhooked the horses, and pulled the right rein, making them move right to get out of the carriage's way. It was going so fast, it rocketed past the horses. I pulled out my rifle, and shot the cratering grenade. The carriage couldn't slow down nearly enough for what happened next.

I jumped to the back of the carriage as it hit the crater, turning the symbol on my blade. The speed of the carriage along with the force of it crashing into the crater slammed me into the air a good twenty feet above the ground with the carriage acting like a makeshift catapult, with me as the projectile itself. I lost my breath, my hearing, and my heartbeat in less than a whole second, but I just did what I could right then. I looked off to the right, spotting the tree I needed to get. I shot the Rope Blade out, the rope latching me onto the tree like a tether ball as I curved around the tree with the speed of an eagle as it dove for it's prey. I flew from the carriage, to the right of it, was yanked towards the forest, just barely brushed up against the bark of the oak beyond the tree I was hooked to that nearly became my murderer, and slingshot right back around towards the road. I flew. I really knew what it felt to fly. Ezio had Davinci's machine, but I felt the thrill of truly flying like an eagle.

The Duke's last words were "where did he go?!" as he stopped the horse. Then came his scream as I shot towards him, the rat helpless to stop the eagle.

* * *

><p>"What kind of sorcery was that?!" He cried as he clutched the two puncture wounds on his chest.<p>

"No sorcery, weasel." I said proudly. "Physics. Where Elsa has her ice, I have my steel. And I am below only a few in the art of assassinations."

The Duke spat blood at me. "You're nothing but a monster. And so was your aunt!" He fell back, leaving me flabbergasted.

* * *

><p>"What did you say?!" I cried out as I grabbed him by the collar. "What are you talking about?! Tell me!"<p>

But it was no use. Death was a one way door: one way in, no way out.

Anna stood above me, her mouth open in amazement. "What was that?!" She cried happily. "I mean, that was obvious something bad." She looked down at the Duke. "But I mean, what was that?! How did you do that?!"

I just looked up to the tree I had used. She hadn't heard what the duke had said. "I have no idea. It just came out of instinct. I had the cratering grenade, and a Rope Blade. Had to use them both however I could."

I kneeled down on the Duke's body, taking the glove off his hand. I yanked his Templar ring off, murmuring "May the Father of Understanding forgive your failure..."

"That was truly spectacular, Asgeir." Said Robin as he grabbed my hand in a shake. "Not even I could have done such a feat."

Anna then gasped. "We left David's horse behind!"

I shrugged. "We should let it be." I said. "Now he can run free as he wishes."

Robin reached into his pack, and pulled out a burlap sack that could fit in my hand. "I know it's not much, but I think that you at least deserve a cut of the gold. The rest will go to the people in these villages."

Anna smiled at Robin. "If you ever need help, Arendelle is a true safe haven for Assassins. Elsa, Asgeir and I will welcome you with open arms and Olaf will with a warm hug!"

I sniggered at the thought of Robin being hugged by that snowman. What a sight that would be.

"What about those guards?" I asked, glancing at the men on the ground with their hands to their heads, the Merry Men with their steel pointed at them.

"We will deal with them. Is there anything else you require?" He asked.

"We need to find Rump-"

"His castle." I interrupted Anna before she did something she would regret.

Robin's expression changed to cautious. "Are you sure? Things haven't really improved since you last went there, Asgeir. He may have gotten worse."

"It's not me, Rob. It's Anna's quest. I'm just a guide."

Robin pointed off through the trees. "His castle is at the base of the mountains that way. You won't miss it. A good day's journey from here"

Anna curtsied as we headed off. Before we were out of sight, we turned to the Merry Men, placing our fists over our hearts. "Nothing is True..." We called out.

The Merry Men followed suit. "Everything is Permitted!" They replied as Anna and I went off.

An hour later, Anna started sighing. "I'm bored!" She groaned. "Are we there yet?"

I rolled my eyes. "There is a game I can teach you to pass the time." I said.

Anna glanced at me. "Oh yeah?"

I carefully looked around the forest. "I Spy with my eagle eye..." I began.

* * *

><p>That night Anna and I camped at the base of a giant redwood tree, a fire between us. I watched across the fire at Anna as I played my harmonica. Quite possibly the only thing I carried on me that wasn't a weapon, Anna always loved hearing me play it, since she was the one who gave it to me. She smiled, lying down on the ground as I played. I played a melody I heard a long time ago in another land. One that when I heard it, reminded me so much of the songs of Old Arendelle from many years ago.<p>

"Asgeir?" Said Anna, looking up at the stars.

I stopped playing. "Yes, Anna?"

"You've seen many sights throughout the lands. Tell me a story."

I smiled. "What kind would you like to hear?"

"Tell me one from the Order. You say that there are true legends that live on in you and the other Assassins. Tell me a story of an Assassin."

I smirked. "I know just the one to tell you."

Anna turned over a bit to watch me. I continued playing while stopping every once in a while to tell the story.

"Once upon a time, in a land without magic, there was a boy. He lived in a time almost five hundred years ago. A time where his world had just recovered from a plague. This land was one that held history for as long as those from there could even remember. His country was one called Italia."

"What was his name?" Said Anna.

"Ezio." I replied. "Ezio Auditore da Firenze. He lived life similar to you Anna, and yet very different. He lived like a prince, with a wealthy family, and all the comforts he could wish. He had two brothers, and one sister, a mother, and a father. His life was one that some of us can only wish for."

Anna stared. "This is going where I think it is, right?"

I nodded. "His father kept secrets from him. Secrets that cost Ezio his father and brothers. The Templars hung them on false charges, and Ezio fled his city to his uncle who lived in another town. Ezio's father had left behind a heritage for Ezio: he was an Assassin. Ezio began a crusade across his country searching for revenge. But as he fought, he found a better path, and he brought something to us that we will never forget."

"What was that?"

"By that time in every land, our order was fractured. It still is today, but the Templars had shattered us to splinters so much, it seemed unlikely that we could put the Order back together, much less defeat the Templars. But Ezio rediscovered our purpose. It's the purpose that drives all of us."

Anna smiled. "Love."

I nodded again. "Fraternal love. Love one another, and learn to accept each other as brothers and sisters. Love for people, and of cultures. 'Fight together to preserve that which drives hope, and you will win back your people' Ezio said. He said that the day before he passed away. It was those words that served as the final piece which reignited the sparks of our Order."

I sat up. "Anna, the life of an Assassin is no easy path. I saw that look in your eyes. It's clear to me that you would consider joining the Order. But it's also not the path I see that you were meant for. All I ask is that you see what it truly means before we return home. If you truly think that a family with two Assassins, one who has been one for all his life, and the other who think it the best life for her, then I will not stop you."

Anna shook her head. "You're right. It isn't the life truly meant for me. I only wish to see what it means to support a cause which claims one thing, but does another. To lead an order based on love, but handles affairs spilling blood at every turn. I know Elsa asks the same thing every day, ever since we met you. You're right, Asgeir: it's a rough life. But please just try to understand the decision. I'm my own person, and I want to make a true difference."

I nodded, then went back to my flute. Anna lay back, looking up at the stars once more, before turning over on her side.

"What about Connor? You clearly are a fan of his work if you used his name for an alias."

I smiled. "You are inquisitive."

Anna grinned. "It's who I am."

I went back to playing as Anna pulled out her sword, finally getting a better look at it. The blade had a slight curve to it, much like my own cutlasses, but not as dramatically. It was also thinner than my own, and had a small bit of Rosemaling carving lacing the base of the blade to the hilt.

"All the best swords have names." I said. "What are you going to name yours?"

Anna smiled. "Pick. Like an ice pick."

"We just love our ice in this family." I sighed, laughing.

"While we're on that subject, what are your swords' names?"

"Talon and Wing. In my opinion the most important tools of an eagle." I replied instantly.

Anna smiled. Then I remembered my souvenirs in the past days: The Templar rings I had taken from the Duke and Bo Peep. I pulled them out, and my chain. It was a chain necklace with a huge number of rings.

Anna stared at it in awe. "Are those...?"

"Templar rings." I finished. "I am part of one of the few Assassin Orders that practices this hobby. Every time I kill or defeat a Templar, I take their ring and add it to my chain."

"I count at least ten on that chain there. But that doesn't seem like much."

I grinned. "Some of us need more chains. I have taken a good sixty, plus the fifteen on this chain." I looped the two new rings through the chain. "Now seventeen."

"Why wouldn't their father forgive them?"

I shook my head. "The Father of Understanding is their false god that they worship. We say 'Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted'. The Templars say 'May the Father of Understanding guide us'. But if a Templar is killed, or defeated by me, then I take their ring to signify that they have nothing but to hope that the Father of Understanding may forgive their failure to him."

"A trophy, essentially."

I tapped my nose. "Right."

* * *

><p>After Anna dozed off I climbed up into the trees. I expected it would be coming any minute now, and sure enough, I received a response from the letter I sent this morning. The pigeon was waiting for me as I climbed up.<p>

"Master Asgeir.

One could say that the deed was almost done, but something came up.

Hans sought an enchanted urn to take over the kingdom. It was said that it could trap magical people, meaning he meant to use it on Queen Elsa. But the urn wasn't empty when he found it in the cave it was hidden. It held another inside. One with the same powers as Elsa. She claims to be your aunt Ingrid through Gerda, her sister. She froze Hans and took the body, and is now living in the castle with Elsa. How do we proceed?"

I shook my head in disbelief. Everything I read was too much to handle. Someone beat the Assassins to the target? There was another who had Elsa's magic? Was this the aunt that the Duke knew of? What was going on?!

Then I remembered it. I read the story from the Land Without Magic when I was first using the magic beans. I was seventeen. It was a fairy tale written by another man named Hans. It told of an evil witch with snow powers that took a young boy from his home, and the girl he loved. I always believed Elsa was this world's version of that queen, but not with the evil mirror magic or abducting boys. Now we had another, and that didn't mean good news. It meant she could be just as nasty as the one from the story.

"Keep your eyes trained on her, but do not engage. We need to find out what she's after." I wrote back.

It always took a few minutes to write messages. We used a special cypher to ensure the Templars never intercepted our orders and stopped us. With that, I threw the bird up into the air as he made his way back to Arendelle.

An aunt, huh? There were some questions I had to ask Matthew since he admitted to me that there were things that he had kept from me for my own safety. Was this one of those secrets? Who was this woman, this Snow Queen?


	6. Chapter 6: Past-Rogue Part 1

**A/N: Merry Christmas! A very short update, but with a good reason. I have been working hard on my Christmas fic, Asgeir and the Frozen Christmas for the past few weeks, and am now typing harder and faster than ever to have it finished by Boxing Day. It'll count for half of the flashbacks for this fic, as well as show some Christmas spirit. I've also been quite busy for the past few weeks with my job (I work nights), and it's given me little time to write anything in the past weeks. I'll try to work on getting more of this fic within the week. As for the starting scene, it's a reference to one of my own favorite scenes from Game of Thrones.**

Chapter 6: Past-Rogue Part 1

Shay Patrick Cormac. Of all the most famous Assassins in the history of the Order, I think he stood out among them all. He was a former Assassin who became the Templar responsible for the First Purge. He killed so many of the Order, and nearly wiped out our efforts in the colonies. It's why I admire Connor Kenway so much. Because he dug us out of that pit that we were buried in. I may not have been alive when he saved us, but he was my brother all the same. Connor became the person I strived to be just like, and Shay became the perfect example of what I didn't want to see out of myself. To lose faith in the Creed is a perfectly reasonable course. We all face it in our lives. All of us. But to lose one's faith and pursue the course that held the whip is what made me lose all respect for him. And that is what made us so cautious about those who questioned the Creed. Who's to say the next person who lost their faith would become another Shay?

I held both the swords in my hands, feeling the moisture of my sweat on them. I had been holding them for quite sometime when I arrived. Anna Had requested that we start practice today, but she hadn't shown up yet. Oh, the irony.

At last, my dear half-sister appeared. Without turning my back from her, I said, "You're late." I turned. "What say tomorrow you are here at noon?"

Anna looked a little puzzled. I had little experience in teaching, but I knew that my kind of teaching was a bit firmer than which I actually was. Almost as though I became a completely different person when I taught.

I held out one of the wooden practice swords, and tossed the other towards Anna. She reached for it lazily, but could not grab it before it clattered to the ground loudly.

I tsked. "Assassins gotta have quicker reflexes than that. Let's try to catch it tomorrow." I nodded to the sword on the ground. "Pick it up."  
>Anna did so, but not properly. She grabbed it with both hands and held it very tightly. I shook my head.<p>

"No. That's not the way. It's not a greatsword, so it shouldn't need two hands. See, I use two swords, one for each hand. One hand is needed, and one hand only."

Anna looked down on the wooden sword. I had it weighted for this specific purpose. "But it's too heavy."

I smirked. "It's only as heavy as it needs to be. I used a weighted sword like this for the same purpose you're going to use it: to make you strong."

I started walking around Anna in a circle. "Do you think that after using that same wooden sword for a month, a real one will be heavy as well?"

Anna shook her head. "No… I don't think so." Then she smiled, catching on.

I gestured for her to turn. "You're standing wrong as well. You're too much of an easy target! You know the right stance?"

Anna nodded, and turned with her right side facing me, and her sword in her left hand. Her grip looked a bit loose, but I knew that she could fix that too with my help.

I quickly measured with my own sword, noticing how Anna had the advantage in two ways. "You're skinny!" I said. "That's one way to make you a harder target. What about your grip?"

Anna held her hand out as she adjusted. It was just the way I wanted her to have it. I grinned. "Precisely. The grip must have a good balance between firm and gentle, as is our ways in our beliefs."

"But what if I drop it?"

To respond, I dropped the practice sword and whipped out my own cutlasses, I slashed with such accuracy, a few hairs of Anna's lovely red fell off. She barely had time to react before I sheathed my blades. "As a swordsperson, the steel is one with you."

Anna raised an eyebrow in thought. "Like a second head?"

I shrugged. "You can think of it like that, but I like to think of it more as an extra long, sharp arm."

Anna grinned. "That sounds much better."

"Now, can you drop part of your arm? Not a bloody chance in hell." I continued. "For fifteen years I have served the Order as an Assassin, and I have been a Master for half that time. I know things, and you must trust me, Anna."

Anna nodded, and we went back to the grip. I showed her carefully, on both hands.

"That is the correct grip."

Anna squeezed it tightly, then realizing her mistake.

"Anna, you aren't holding a battle axe! You're holding-"

"A needle?"

I was taken aback, but grinned proudly. "Precisely!" I said, laughing.

I walked over, and guided Anna's sword to point at me. "We have much to learn, but for now, let's make it real simple: you will try to strike me, and we'll see how you do."

I turned around, smiling as Anna cried out. She charged me, and I batted her off to the side gently.

Anna turned around, and I took my battle stance. Anna made a mistake in that instant, grabbing her sword with both hands. Her face went crimson as I flashed my eyes at her, and she corrected. She tried a low swoop towards me as she advanced, but I was ready once again. This time, my counter knocked her sword right out of her hands, and into the air. As Anna stumbled off, I grabbed her sword right out of midair. When she came back to the ring, I tossed her the sword, and she caught it without hesitation.

"Hm!" I nodded, smiling.

Anna poked her sword swiftly through the gap between us, but I responded by jumping off to the side, and tapping her with my own sword.

"You're dead!"

Anna rolled her eyes, and prepared for another strike.

I believe in a certain positive encouragement when it comes to training. Firm, fair, and friendly. While all those terms may sound contradictory, I find that if you can find the right balance between those three, teaching can make things much easier for whomever you are training. Anna felt my encouragement, and I am proud to say that she got a few lucky shots. Eventually we sat down at the edge of the ring to rest.

Anna ran her fingers over her face. "Since we're on the subject of swords, can I ask about those?" She was referring to the scars on my face.

Scars can either look ugly, or cool. I often wondered which mine were, but I liked them. I had two that met each other at one point on my face. The first went down my left eyebrow down into a curve just below my nose. The other went from just below my right eyebrow, across my nose. The two of them almost seemed to form a warped "X" on my face. Or a tilted "V". Whichever way you looked at them.

I pointed at the eyebrow scar. "This lucky bastard was the first Grand Master Templar I ever killed. Let's say he put up a lot more of a fight than I was expecting."

Then I pointed to my nose. "And this, well. This is what I get for being held at knifepoint, and head butting the guy who held the knife to my throat. He missed slitting my throat by a few inches."

Anna ran her finger over it. "They look like they belong there." She shook her head, wincing. "Did that come out wrong?"

I smirked. "I get it. It's a sign of weathering over the years as an Assassin. That's what you meant, right?"

Anna nodded. She could learn to relax once in a while and think before acting. Hell, there were a lot of things I could teach her.

"You know I don't entirely approve of this, Asgeir."

Elsa was starting to (ahem) cool off on me and began talking to me much more. But of course, she still didn't entirely trust me. It was suppertime that night at the castle, and this time we were alone that night with no guards.

"Elsa, I personally think that it's more up to me than yourself, now isn't it?" said Anna.

"Anna, I know. But couldn't we get the guards to teach you some of this stuff? They might prove to be better teachers."

I snorted. Wasn't that just a pathetic joke.

Elsa sighed, trying not to notice my snide attitude. "Look, I'll say yes to this as long as you're coming out of this with no scratches. But you have to promise me, Asgeir, that she will learn the proper skills on stopping those fools from the Southern Isles."

I bowed my head. "On my life."

What soon after that conversation sparked a catchphrase between Anna and me: "Don't tell Elsa."

Kai then entered the room. "Your Majesty." He bowed as he stood next to Elsa's seat. "I hope you've found everything to your expectations tonight?"

"Yes, Kai." She replied. "Everything was delicious."

Kai nodded to me. "Wonderful to have you again, Master Connor." He turned and made his way out of the room with as much sound as myself during a regular infiltration.

It was as I saw Kai that it hit me. He was one of the only seven to see me born, and still working for the royal family. He and Gerda were all that remained, thanks to Agdar's reduction of the castle's staff back when he hid Elsa's magic. He was the closest the girls had to a foster father, and they trusted him. Why couldn't I trust him, too?

As Anna and I headed up to the living room to go over plans for her training, I mentioned this to her.

"Kai's been in service to this family since my grandfather Harald was king. His own father held the position until he passed, and Kai took over for him. I trust him more than anyone other than Elsa or Kristoff. If you're considering this, know that Kai will be the one to keep this secret to his grave."

I couldn't really find a response to that statement. I've kept this secret my whole life. Could I keep this streak up and learn to trust more?

"By the way," Said Anna. "It's time for a rematch!" She pointed down at the table between us, the already-set chessboard down. I couldn't help but smile as I noticed the kings: both head crosses snapped clean off.

Anna had done her homework into chess over the past few days, because this time she lasted much longer.

"This game is much like swordplay in a different perspective." I said. "Each piece reflects the chances you have in a duel, and it really sharpens your concentration." I explained.

"So I guess it's good that we've already started playing now?" She asked.

I nodded. "Precisely."

I wanted to finally talk to Kai about my secret as soon as I could, but something held me back. But what I didn't know was it was that had my grip on me. It turned out it was the last thing any one of us needed that didn't come from the Southern Isles: One of my own brethren.

He climbed up into the crisp autumn air from his cabin as the ship slid into port. With the men hustling and shouting, he jumped off the deck onto the wooden port. Walking over to the harbormaster's quarters, he rang the bell loudly.

The harbormaster did not like to be awoken so late, until he saw what my brother was paying.

"What do you need, sir?"

"Directions to the village."

"Must be important business to be attended at this time of night."

The hooded man before him grinned. "Let's just say, what has been sowed must now be reaped."


	7. Chapter 7: The Apprentice

**A/N: The latest review said that I should update soon since the Frozen arc is done on the show. I coul****dn't agree more. But we all have those weeks (or in my case a whole 2 months) of extra shifts and barely any time to write. I've been writing as ****much as I could in the last few days since I've had them off, and now I have this chapter ready. I hope to get the next one up soon. Unrelated pro tip: never, ever take a casually scheduled job if you want a part time job. They are completely different things.**

Chapter 7: The Apprentice

tAnna and I walked slowly up the steps. Rumplestiltskin's estate was massive compared to most, even larger than our own castle.

"Any advice for me? You've seen this man before." Said Anna.

I scoffed. "This freak is the furthest thing from a man you will ever meet. All the same, mind your Ps and Qs, speak clearly to him, and whatever you do, don't say the word 'anything'."

"Anything?" Said Anna.

"You'll understand what I mean later."

Anna reached for the door, but noticed it was open. She shrugged, and we walked in.

I damned myself for not thinking of someone else we could go to for advice. The Serpent seemed to be the only person in the land that people approached when it came to these kinds of problems.

"Rumplestilskin?" Called Anna. "Are you here? The door was open!"

We then heard that squeaky voice echo. "End of the hall! First door on your right!"

We walked down the hall, myself watching carefully for any traps. This guy was worse than any Templar I had ever killed, except he wasn't one.

"Come on in, dearie! You and your...escort!" He said.

Anna and I walked into the room. A massive table sat at the center with a chair facing away from us at the head.

"My name is Joan, and this is Connor. We were hoping you could help us-"

Anna gaped at the sight of Rumplestiltskin. His face like that of a toad's, with yellow eyes and rotting teeth. He looked just as freakish as when I last faced him.

"Is there something wrong with your skin?" She said.

I winced. "Why do you talk?!" I snapped. "What did I tell you as we were walking right in?!"

Anna nodded, a little shook off by my tone. "Sorry! It's not that there's anything wrong with-"

Rumplestiltskin stood up. "Your name isn't Joan, as isn't his Connor. After all, I never forget those who tried to kill me." He glared at me as he said this.

I wasn't just someone who tried to kill the Snake once. I was also the only one that I knew of that wanted to see his head hit the floor more than anyone else. But I didn't know the pirate yet. I wasn't just afraid of Rumplestiltskin. I was bloodthirsty.

"Names are my stock and trade, dearie. And yours is Anna, of Arendelle." He pronounced the name of the kingdom with a big emphasis on the A.

"And your 'traveling companion' is Master Assassin Asgeir Swortssen." He stared at me with such an evil grin, as if he knew something I didn't.

"No need to keep secrets from me. I know more about you than you think." He said, looking Anna up and down as he circled us.

"Then you know why we're here." I said, staring him down with my glare. Where was the Piece? It wasn't in his hands like last time.

"Yes, yes." Replied Rumplestiltskin. "You want to know why your parents ventured into this strange land."

Anna nodded. "My sister thinks it was because of her, but I know she's wrong. Can you help us?"

The imp grinned. "As it happens," He said. "your parents paid me a visit in their journey. It would seem when one needs answers, I'm the face to go!"

I damned Agdar's foolishness. Make a deal with the devil? You could ask him for a dollar and he'd still screw you over for that. Rumplestiltskin always said he only broke one deal in his life, but the truth was he broke more deals than I broke arms. He made his deals so carefully worded, that he'd always get the better end of the stick.

Anna frowned. "What answers did they seek?" She asked.

"Well I can't just tell you, dearie." Replied Rumplestiltskin.

I scoffed. "The hell you can't. You just want something from us in return."

Rumplestiltskin glanced at me with piercing yellow eyes. "I'd keep quiet, Assassin. Otherwise I'll take your 'silver tongue'." He sneered.

He turned to Anna, paying no attention to the look of shock on her face. I guess she didn't expect such hostility from either of us.

"You see, aside from names," he continued. "I also have a speciality for making deals."

Oh hell... Don't do it, Anna. Don't say it.

"A deal?" Anna nodded. "Sure. I'll make a deal. I'll do whatever it takes to help my sister!"

"Anna, no!" I cried.

Rumplestiltskin shot a look at me. "I said quiet!"

He flicked his finger at me, and suddenly I felt it. He didn't take my tongue, but I couldn't speak. And I figured it would be for a while. But I wouldn't have taken back what I said that lead to my silence. I hated Rumplestilskin more than most could dream of. There was just something about him that ground my gears. Maybe it was his taunting from last time with my heart.

Anna glanced at me, but said nothing, clearly too frightened to say anything out of line.

The snake conjured a small bottle into his hand. "At the foot of the dark mountains," he said, creepily. "Lives a very old man. Prickly sort, probably eats children for breakfast."

I narrowed my eyes further at him, if that was possible. Ate children for breakfast? Well, isn't the pot calling the kettle black?

"I need you to put this in his tea." He held up the bottle.

Anna glanced at the bottle uneasily. "What will it do to him?" She said.

Rumplestiltskin shook his head. "Sorry, dearie. That's not part of our agreement. Oh! Speaking of which!"

He flicked his hand, conjuring the massive paper with the damned line at the bottom: the dotted one.

"Sign here, and I shall tell you why your parents came to see me."

He held out the quill to Anna. "Do we have a deal?"

Anna looked at the quill, then at me. I shook my head. But Anna turned back and signed her name.

"Oh! Might as well, since he's been so quiet!"

Rumplestiltskin flicked his finger at me again, my voice coming back. I coughed, and cursed under my breath. My turn to say those words, although to myself.

"Whatever it takes," I said to myself in my head. "I will protect Anna from his slimy claws. I promised Elsa, and I promised Kristoff."

* * *

><p>We were soon on our way. As we headed out towards the old man's house, Anna kept glancing at me. First it was every minute that Anna looked back at me, but then it started happening every ten seconds. Finally, I was fed up enough to say "What?!"<p>

Anna frowned at me. "I've never seen you in such a bad mood, Asgeir. Unless you count that standoff with Ryan after we met. What happened between you and Rumplestiltskin? You warned me to watch I don't say anything out of line, then did it yourself."

I nodded. "It's different for me. I'm already on his shite list when I made that trade with him."

"What trade? I thought he made deals." She said.

I shook my head. "A year ago, not long after I visited for Elsa's birthday, I received orders to kill Rumplestiltskin. He wasn't a Templar, but he wasn't innocent as well. He terrorized so many souls, and they would sleep easy knowing that he would be dead. So I didn't ask question. But when I found him, things were not as easy as it should have been. I impaled him three times with my swords, and stabbed him once more with my hidden blade. Nothing could hurt him. And then he took my heart just as I pried the dagger from his hands."

"Took your heart?" Anna held her hand towards her own chest, like to pull her own out. "Like took it, took it?"

I nodded. "A simple trade. Not a deal: he give me my heart back, I give him the dagger, and we never see each other again. He then explained a few things to me as I held the dagger: the dagger controls him, so whoever holds it can make him do anything they will him to. It's also the only thing that will kill him. But killing him with it would make me the Dark One. I refuse to be chained, or hold the whip, so I made the trade with him. But he had to taunt me before I left."

I pointed to my chest. "If one were to pull out a person's heart, it would become enchanted. You could control that person, or kill them. You know how I feel about being chained. I especially lose my temper at chains I can't escape from, being the best at escape artistry."

"Rumple could've controlled me with my heart, but instead he pointed out the worst possible thing about myself I didn't need to know.

I stopped walking as Anna did so. I took one hand by her shoulder, and placed the other on her heart. "The Sight lets me see many things. I can see hearts without removing them. I've seen yours. It's as red as an apple. You never once let darkness get ahold of you, and that's what makes you special. Elsa has a heart made of ice if you can believe it. I'm also unique in terms of hearts, too."

Anna took my hand. "How so?" She said, comfortingly.

"Darkness." I replied. "If you let the darkness inside your heart, it only grows, and never leaves. For all my childhood I always hated your father for trying to kill me, and it gave me truly spiteful feelings towards the Templars. We offer them a prayer to them that they rest in peace when we kill them, but there was a point in my life where I didn't do so. Alone, hateful, and letting the darkness corrupt me every day, it only consumed my heart more and more."

I resumed walking, and Anna followed suit. "But then I met you and Elsa, and things changed. I hope you understand it when I say that you both put the light back into my heart. I saved your life, and you saved mine in return. It's what keeps me fighting for justice, and not revenge.

"But unfortunately, the darkness in my heart is still there. Once you let it in, it's there for good. When the Imp took my heart, I saw what it had done to my heart. I'm on the edge. Right on the line between killing for personal satisfaction, or for what's right. There were some Templars I killed because I wanted to kill them, not because I needed to. When I saw my heart, I saw how the conflict has reached it. Always beating. One beat, it's red as red can be. Another beat, and it resembles a piece of coal. Then another beat, and it's back to red. It'll always be that way, and I'm the only one with such a heart. Always trying to figure out what choice I make, and if it's the right one. That's the true conflict I face. But so far I've shown such resistance to the darkness that I can resist so much more."

Anna smiled. "Then we really are special. All three of us. Siblings of Arendelle, each with a heart as different as the three of us."

I smirked. Leave it to her to see the bright side of things. "I guess so. Rumplestiltskin took my heart a long time ago, and when he had it in his hands, he taunted me, saying I should stop jumping from one side of the coin to another, and let the darkness in. But I could never forsake my vows. I'm not like the Templars. I'm not like Shay."

"Who is this Shay?" asked Anna.

I glanced at Anna, and shook my head. "Another time, Anna. His story was the worst."

The small house that Rumplestiltskin told us about was coming up. It didn't look like something a nutcase that ate children would live in. In fact, it looked well kept and kind of cozy.

"Anna, I'd be careful." I said as she took the bottle out. "Whatever the Serpent gave you, it can't do anything good to the old man."

Anna nodded. "But what kind of man is this one?"

I sighed. "I have no idea. I don't have magic, so I can't truly know what's going on. Best I can tell is that Rumplestiltskin wants to liberate my head from my neck with his Piece."

Anna and I walked up to the front porch, and she knocked on the door.

The man who Rumplestiltskin spoke of opened the door. He seemed a little strange looking with his cherry red robe, and his long scraggly grey hair, but he looked at us with such kind eyes. I didn't need to focus my sight on him to know he wished us no harm, just as I had suspected. I lowered my hood.

"Can I help you?" He asked, kindly.

Anna nodded. "Yes. Maybe. I-I" She stuttered. "Can we come in?"

The man glanced at me for a second. Did he recognize my hood, or what it meant? Did he know who Anna was? I had no idea. The man only glowed blue as I focused on him.

He smiled. "I just put a kettle on the fire. Join me for tea, and biscuits."

Anna smiled, although I felt her unease as we stepped inside. The hovel was a nice place, and well kept for it's status. The thick smell of pastries wafted from the fire.

Anna noticed the biscuits as well. "Biscuits! You mean you don't eat children?"

I elbowed her slightly as the man chuckled. "Is that what they say about me these days?" He said, walking over to a corner. He picked up a broom and started sweeping. I had seen someone like this before in the stories. Wasn't it a movie in the Land Without Magic?

"Yes." Said Anna, foot in her mouth yet again. One day she might say the wrong thing, and I dreaded not being there to stop her. "No!" She corrected herself. "Well…" She glanced at the man. "Sorry…" She murmured.

"Pardon my sister, kind sir." I said. "We've traveled a long way."

He nodded. "It's quite all right." He said to me. "So what brings you both so deep into the woods, to the home of an alleged devourer of children?"

I noticed Anna was eyeing the kettle with concern. If she was to carry out the deed, the time was coming. Would I help her with such a task? It could mean betraying the Creed and the tenets. Although, kind people with ulterior motives weren't unheard of, here. I had to be on guard, and that could mean helping Anna. But she had to make her move.

"We're on a quest, kind sir." I said. "Helping our sister. But it seems we've lost the way."

"Well, you're welcome to stay as long as you wish." He said, not looking up from his sweeping. This all looked familiar, and it was right on the tip of my tongue. But why was I thinking about a hat? "I assure you, the biscuits are delicious," He looked up, grinning. "And they are made with flour."

Anna and I both smiled at that. At least this man had a sense of humor. As he went back to his work, Anna went over to the kettle. I had to do what I could to make sure the man didn't see her slip the poison in."

"So, kind sir. May I ask your name?"

He smiled. "Most don't know me by my name, and those who know me well enough only call me an Apprentice. However, you may call me Mick."

You have got to be bloody kidding me.

"Now, if I'm not mistaken, that sounds like an Nottingham accent, sir." He said to me. "Are you from there?"

"Not entirely." I replied. "I was raised there, but we both come from Arendelle. My sisters were raised there separately from myself. Oh, where are my manners? I am Asgeir, Master Mick."

Mick smiled as I glanced at Anna. It almost looked like she deliberately spilled the vial into the fire as she stood up.

"Master!" Exclaimed Mick. "I am no master, only an apprentice. But all the same, you are too kind.

Anna turned to us as she stood up, an empty vial in her fist. I knew as she smiled, that she didn't come anywhere close to poisoning that vial. "Do you take sugar?" She asked pleasantly.

* * *

><p>A while afterwards, after Mick gave us directions back onto the road, we returned ascending the steps to the snake's manor.<p>

"I'm very proud of you, Anna." I said. "Very few have as strong a soul as you do to resist putting that crap into the man's tea."

"You were right, Asgeir." She admitted. "There has to be a better way to finding answers on what our parents were after."

We found Rumplestiltskin in the same chair we first saw him in, in the very same room. Anna filled him in on the situation, while I kept quiet. Anna did her best to make sure she kept her story straight, but as she said it, something felt off when Rumplestiltskin replied.

"So you poured it in the tea?" He asked.

"Just as you asked." She said.

"And he drank it?"

"Every last drop."

The imp cackled. "Good!" He laughed. "Then he'll live."

"So now can you tell me why my parents came-"

"What the bloody hell did you say, Imp?!" I snapped. I knew this was too good to be true. "He'll live?!"

"He'll live, because he drank the antidote you gave him!"

"Antidote?" Said Anna. "To what?"

His toothy grin showed off every bit of his rotting teeth. "Uh, poison?"

"I thought it _was_ poison!" She said.

"You son of a bitch!" I started to reach for my sword as Rumplestiltskin cackled again. Stabbing him with any of my steel wouldn't kill him, but it sure as hell would make me feel better.

"No!" chuckled Rumplestiltskin. "The poison's what he drank yesterday! What you had was the cure for that!"

Anna looked at him with horror, and then said "I didn't give it to him."

"Why not?" asked the toad. "We had a deal!"

'Cause you're a lying wanker!" I snapped. "You made her think it was poison so you could make an innocent kill another!"

"We have to make more antidote!" Said Anna, wishing that there was any hope for Mick. "We have to go back to the cottage! We have to help him!"

I pulled out my sword. "You do what she says, freak!"

Rumplestiltskin only smiled as he stood up. "I'm afraid it's far too late for that, dearie!" He waved his hand over the crystal ball, which I had only now just noticed, on his table. It showed Mick in his cottage, succumbing to the poison. As he keeled over it turned him into a- yes, you guessed it- mouse. A big-eared mouse.

"You bastard…" I muttered.

"Oh, look who's talking." He giggled at me. He turned on Anna. "You should have listened to me when you had the chance.

Anna could only watch with horror, a large piece of her innocence drifting away.

* * *

><p>For once, I forgot about killing Rumplestiltskin, and headed off with Anna towards the cottage to make sure Mick was okay. She started looking frantically around as she opened the door.<p>

"It's gotta be here somewhere…"

"Careful you don't step on it!"

We glanced up at Rumplestiltskin, who was already there. My first instinct was to pull out my flintlock, which I did. Anna was still hoping that there was bargaining with this devil.

"We have to find him! You have to change him back!" She said.

"Oh, but I can't, dearie!" He replied.

"Why?"

He grinned. "Because I don't want to."

BANG! The bullet sparked across the room from my pistol, and Rumplestiltskin keeled back, clutching his chest. For a second, he looked like he was dying from that shot. Then he grinned, holding the bullet in his palm. He dropped it, and continued what he was saying, but not after taking my voice once again.

"He was protecting something that I need." He explained to Anna.

Realization spread across Anna's face like wildfire. "You're the one who poisoned him!"

I tried to say "Bingo!" but all that came out was weezing. Rumplestiltskin giggled. Whether from what he did to Anna, or me, or Mick. I'll never know. He always seemed to be laughing about everything like a medieval Joker.

Anna was confused, as was I a little bit. "Then why did you send me there with an antidote if you wanted to turn him into a mouse?" She said in disbelief.

"Oh, it was never about him!" Said the serpent. "It was always about you!"

"It was all a test?!"

"And one you performed admirably!" He said. "You see, he's but the first line of defense. And what he protects is also guarded by an enchantment. A spell that can only be broken by someone who has been tempted by their inner darkness, and turned away from it. Someone just like you! And in the process, I made one of the Assassin Order's greatest warriors break a tenet of the Creed! Aren't you supposed to protect the innocent?"

Something of interest to Rumplestiltskin guarded by someone who's supposed to be a cartoon mouse, and with a lot more protection that I expected. Only one thing came to mind, and it wasn't a Piece of Eden. In the serpent's claws, that would be much more dangerous than a mere Apple.

For some reason, I felt my voice come back. Maybe he wasn't paying attention to me, or maybe he just gave up in trying to silence me. I was appalled.

"You used her! YOU MONSTER! I'LL MAKE YOU BURN FOR THIS!"

I felt the chain conjure out of midair, and it pulled me to the ground. My head bounced off the hard floor, and I heard a ringing as I held my head. But I stayed conscious.

"I knew you couldn't do it, dearie." Said Rumplestiltskin. "I knew you'd see the best in the old man."

Anna smirked. "I never faced my 'inner darkness'."

I suddenly laughed, realizing what she did. "Clever girl!" I cried.

"What?!" Exclaimed the serpent.

"As soon as I met Mick, I knew what I had to do. I could never hurt someone to get what I want. Elsa wouldn't want me to." She looked down at me. "And neither would Asgeir."

I smirked. "Proud of you, sister!"

"So I was never tempted by that…'inner darkness' you speak of. In fact, I don't even think I have one. I'm, unlike you, nice."

My heart sank as I saw the snake grin. "Well then, dearie. I hope you're going to enjoy spending the rest of your life locked up in my tower! As for your brother, I think I'll take him to my vault!"

Then he pulled out that damned paper. "It was part of our deal!" He said.

I grimaced. "Touch one finger on her, I cut your head off!"

"But we have to get back to Elsa!" She exclaimed.

"Then you should have never left home in the first place!" he taunted. "Imagine the guilt she will feel when you don't return home from your journey."

Bollocks. Always one goddamn step ahead of us! Anna realized what this meant for Elsa. She would blame herself for our disappearance, and be left to mourn over what we did. All because she let us leave.

"A journey you took because of her. She will finally become that monster everyone fears she is." He gasped. "I suppose the wedding's off."

I couldn't just lay down and take this. But I had to. The chains remained tight around my arms.

"No!" She cried, sword raised. I could almost see the potential Assassin in her spirit as she looked defiantly at Rumplestiltskin.

"Rip it up!" She exclaimed. "Rip up the contract, now!"

"Well, I can't do that, dearie." He said.

"The hell you can't!" I cried. "Don't do something you'll regret, imp!"

For the third time that day, he took my voice right from my mouth.

"I'm afraid the only way for you to escape your fate, is by killing me! And we know you're just too…nice."

Then I saw it. How he could keep making plans time and time again that seemed to just stack the cards in his favor, I never knew. But what I did know is that Anna forgot that a mortal blade couldn't wound Rumplestiltskin. She thought that she could kill him right here and now, and that would be it. And he taunted her to do it.

"Do it. Go on. Right through me. Do it!"

We all have darkness in our hearts. You're just playing yourself if you deny that. And Anna was looking right down into the endless chasm of darkness. I knew exactly where this was going, and either way, she would lose. If she tried to kill Rumplestitlskin, it would let the darkness in, and it would tarnish her heart. And if she didn't, then Rumplestiltskin would have his way to the hat. Either way, the serpent had pushed my own blood right into a trap with no escape, and it only did one thing to me: it had me put him right at the top of my list. I would find a way to kill him without magic, no matter the cost.

"Do it! DO IT! DO IT!" Commanded Rumplestiltskin.

Anna couldn't, even though she saw her darkness. She fell back, dropping Pick. She sat right beside me as I undid my chains.

"You'll burn for this, Rumplestiltskin!" I growled. "I will make you burn."

"I'd like to see you try, Assassin. Your sister may not have considered dosing the old man,but she just thought about killing me."

Tears started rolling down Anna's cheeks. Her innocence was cracked into pieces. Rumplestitlskin kneeled down to us. Then I saw the Piece. His dagger. He held it under her chin until a tear dripped onto it. He giggled with delight as he stood up, with what he came for.

"The tear of someone who has faced their inner darkness, and turned away."

Anna and I looked up as he grinned. "The love for your sister was all I needed."

Anna bared her teeth. "I should have known! I should have listened to Asgeir! You're a monster! You take the most precious thing in this world! Love! And turn it into a weapon!"

"Love _is_ a weapon, dearie!" Replied the devil. "Always has been! It's just…" He waved the dagger in his hand, a hidden trapdoor beneath the hay in the floor. "So few people know how to wield it."

Rumplestitlskin walked down into the dungeon, triumphant, while Anna threw her arms around me, soaking my hood in tears. I patted her on the back.

"It's okay, Anna. You didn't know. It's okay."

Anna noticed Pick at her feet, and thrust it into my hands. "Don't let me touch this again!" She sobbed.

I felt a little shook off, but nodded as she buried her face in her knees.

* * *

><p>Rumplestiltskin returned shortly, holding something that didn't look like the hat. It was a small circular box with stars on it. I assumed correctly that the hat was inside, because I could hear the voices from it. Not of those who came before, but of something else. We both stood up as he climbed up the stairs.<p>

"I helped you get what you wanted." She said, sniffling. "Now give me what you promised. Tell us about our parents."

Surprisingly, Rumplestitlskin kept his end. "Well, dearie, The King and Queen of Arendelle landed on my doorstep with an itsy bitsy problem: your sister."

Of course. Those damned Templars couldn't let what they couldn't control be in anyone else's hands. What if I got to Elsa first and brainwashed her with my anarchist ways? She would be an untold threat to them.

"They wanted something to take away her powers…forever."

Anna couldn't believe what she heard. "Our parents loved Elsa."

"Sounded more to me like they feared her."

Because of this Snow Queen aunt of ours. Something happened with her. Mother had seen this magic before, and it scared her because of something from her past.

"It's a thin line. It's oh so easy to cross." He said, taunting Anna again. "You must have known. They always wished she had been born a little bit more…normal."

"What the hell is normal, serpent?" I snapped. "It's only something to be ashamed of if that's what you aim to get out of life."

"Did they find what they were looking for?" Asked Anna.

"I'm afraid not." Said Rumplestiltskin. "No one could lay their hands on that kind of magic, until now." He held up the box for us to see.

"So that's what the box does." Said Anna.

"Not the box." He said. "What's inside. A hat crafted thousands of years ago by a sorcerer for one purpose: to steal magical power. And guarded all these years by his apprentice."

Speak of the devil, I started hearing whispers above my head, and as I focused, saw the little guy scurrying over the cross beams of the cottage right above us.

"What are you up to with that thing, imp?" I asked.

"When the hat has collected all of it's ill gotten power, and it's fully charged, I will be unstoppable."

Anna was confused. "But I thought the Dark One was already unstoppable."

He shrugged. "There are limits, however small."

I narrowed my eyes. "No. You can't, serpent. I've seen the power of the Pieces with my own eyes, and this is a whole new level. This is too much power for one individual. Mick dedicated his life to ensure freaks like you don't get their slimy paws on it."

"Too bad he's not here to stop me." He replied.

Anna grinned, already aware of what I heard. "What if he is?" She looked above, along with the toad. Mick jumped down, and bit Rumplestiltskin on the hand. He dropped the Dagger in that instant.

"Grab the Piece, Anna!' I cried, charging Rumplestiltskin. I grabbed him, holding his arms back as Anna held up the Dagger.

"Don't move!" She said. "I know how this works. Asgeir told me."

Then she looked at it in her hands. "Is that why you want the hat? To free yourself from the control of this dagger?!"

Rumplestiltskin didn't respond until I pinned his arm against his back like a playground bully. "Answer her, you craven!"

"To be free of the control and to keep my power!" He answered. "Yes!"

"Yeah, I can't let you walk out of her with that!" She snapped. "So please, give me the box."

I pried the box out of Rumplestiltskin's hands, and tossed it to Anna. "Give me the Dagger, Anna!" I said.

Anna carefully handed the Dagger to me, until I had Rumplestiltskin at the Dagger's point.

"Remember, dearie." He said to me. "You can't keep ahold of that Dagger forever. And you don't want to be at the other end of it when I get it back!"

"I'm not worried about me." I said. "It's her that needs to be sent back in one piece. You and I have some unfinished business! Send Anna and the box back home to Arendelle!"

Rumplestiltskin backed down. "If I must." He murmured.

"Wait!" Said Anna. "And also you can never hurt me! Or my sister or Asgeir! And you have to turn Mick back into a man!"

When he didn't respond, I poked him with the knife again. "Do as she said, serpent!" I snapped.

Rumplestiltskin held up his hand to send Anna back.

"I'll be there soon, Anna." I assured her. "Don't worry."

Anna nodded as she disappeared. I let go of Rumplestiltskin, the Dagger still in my hands. He screamed in anger of losing the hat.

"What do you want more out of me, Assassin?" He snapped.

"One question that you're going to answer: What else did Mother and Agdar seek from you?"

Rumplestiltskin frowned. "I am not questioning what you ask, but I never said that they wanted anything else out of me."

"You didn't need to. You gave it away when you kept glancing at me as you talked to Anna. I'm no fool. I know they wanted something else out of you aside from Elsa, and I know it involved me somehow."

"Yes." Growled Rumplestiltskin. "Yes, they mentioned you to me. I didn't know that their bastard son, and my would-be Assassin from a year ago, the White Reaper were one in the same until you came here with your sister!"

"What else did they want?"

Rumplestiltskin stepped forward, wanting to grab the dagger from me, but I held it up higher, forcing him to back off. I could hear the Ones Who Came Before coursing through the dagger. This was one of their many artifacts, and what I was hearing confirmed it.

"They wanted to forget you. They wanted you, a bastard Assassin, out of their lives as two high ranking Templars."

"Wait!" I cried in disbelief. "Gerda wanted to forget me just as much as Agdar?"

"Indeed." Growled the Snake. "She had been a Templar most of her life. Remembering that she had you, would only hurt her and Agdar's chances to become the Grand Masters of their Order."

"But then why not visit the trolls? They make people forget things all the time."

"Yes. But with troll magic, those inflicted by it don't have their memories erased. Their memories still remain, deep in their subconscious, only twisted with the trolls' magic. Gerda and Agdar wanted a potion that would make them forget you altogether, erasing you from their minds and their subconciouses, and the Templars' minds altogether. Yes they would see you, Asgeir, the White Reaper, butchering the Templars across the realms, but they would only see an Assassin, not their daughters' half-brother."

I stood there, appalled. In that moment, I lost all sympathy. I didn't have two parents that were now dead. I only had one, and his head was taken off by a Templar devil and his wife. She bore me so long ago, and now I understood. When I was born, Agdar didn't take me from her arms so that he could kill me. She gave me to him.

"Did you give it to them?"

"Indeed. A forgetting potion is a walk in the woods for me. I gave them the potion, told them that they could drink it when they left, and sent them on their way. They spent their last moments with not a single thought of you. And if you did cross their mind, it was only because you were an Assassin, not Gerda's first born."

I narrowed my eyes, defeated. "Send me back, you little prick." I snapped. "And if you come looking for any of my family ever again, I'll call the Assassins, and we will tear you apart. See if you survive that."

Rumplestiltskin raised his hand, and I felt the floor swallow me up from below.

* * *

><p>I reappeared right in the courtyard garden at the castle. I just remembered then that my satchel with the magic beans were still in Misthaven, aside from the one bean hidden in my boot. I would have to come back for them later.<p>

I figured I would find Anna with her fiancé. Sure enough, I walked right in on them kissing in the stables. Anna looked over at me as I walked in.

"Uh, I can leave if you want?" I said.

Anna laughed. "Asgeir, what took you?"

"Answers. Elsa wasn't the only reason they went on that quest."

"What do you-" Said Anna. Her eyes lit up with misery. "Oh…"

"They were full fledged Templars, Anna. How would it look like to the rest of their Order if it was discovered that Gerda's true living first born was a bastard Assassin?"

"Not good, I assume?" said Kristoff.

"They wanted something stronger than troll magic, and they got that from the imp. This whole quest was a dead end, Anna. I now know that our mother spent her last moments either wishing I was never born, or I didn't even cross her mind."

"Yeah." Said Anna. She turned to Kristoff. "Our mission didn't go as planned."

Kristoff winced. "So they did leave because of Elsa."

"They got on that ship because they were afraid of her." She said. "They wanted to change her. They were looking for a way to take away her powers. With this." She held up the box.

Kristoff sighed. "That is-"

"Horrible? Terrible? The worst news you've ever heard and the world might as well end right now?"

He shook his head. "I was gonna say 'bad'. But yeah, what you said. What are you gonna tell her?"

Anna wasn't sure, so I said it for her. "Nothing. We tell her that we found nothing about what their parents were looking for, and we don't bring up the box."

Anna glanced at it in her hands, and then looked at me. "Do you think-?"

I knew what she meant. "I'll need to bring this up with Matthew and the council. I haven't seen anything near this powerful, and neither has anyone else of the Order. We may have to hide it someplace we can only go once."

* * *

><p>Anna and I both headed down the hallways towards the castle's lounge. With my birds sending me the messages that Elsa was worried to say the least about us, it was important that we see her as soon as we could. We entered through the open door, Elsa floating a large snowflake in her hand. She was in her official queen dress that day. I had a similar thing, where I had to wear a coat without a hood when I was at the royal council meetings. Elsa jumped for us as we walked in.<p>

"Anna! Asgeir!" She cried. We embraced, feeling that joyful chill again. Even when she was happy, Elsa always had that cold aura surrounding her. "I was worried I would never see you again!"

"I'm afraid you're stuck with us!" Said Anna.

"Really, Elsa?" I said. "Anna had my help on the way. Keeping an eye on her is not as hard as you'd think."

"I'm glad you stepped up, Asgeir." She said. "It's what I would have wanted if Anna did end up leaving."

"I'm sorry we left without telling you." Said Anna.

"And I'm sorry I made it feel like you had to. I know you did it for me to try to make me feel better."  
>"And to cut down some Templars." I added.<p>

Elsa smiled. "So! What did you learn? Did you discover why our parents went to the Enchanted Forest?"

Anna and I shared an uneasy glance. One that Elsa noticed. "What is it, Anna? What did you find? Asgeir?"

I glanced at Anna, but she played it off just like I wanted her to.

"Nothing." She said, smiling. "I mean, I'm still waiting on some answers from a few people I met, but I wouldn't expect anything anytime soon, because they have to find it out, they have to get on a ship and come here. It could take a while, a long while, and-."

Elsa just smiled. With absolutely no snowflakes or frost gathering around the room.

"Well, I'll be damned…" I smirked.

"Wait! No flurries? No frost on the windows?"

"Looks like Elsa found something, too, Anna."

"I've been learning to control my powers when I get upset." Said Elsa, grinning.

"Really?" said Anna. "How?"

"By training with me."

I dreaded that voice for years to come. As Anna and I turned, we saw a tall blonde all in silvery white. She had a tiara of snowflakes on her head, and seemed to almost glide as she walked towards us.

"Who is that?" Said Anna, out loud. "I mean, who are you? I mean, hi."

It takes a lot of trust from me to really accept someone in. And with all that I heard, this warning from my birds, the last words of the Duke, and what Gerda and Agdar were after, it all didn't spell something good with this woman. I only stood by while Anna and Elsa approached her.

"She's…our aunt." Said Elsa.

"Our what?" said Anna

"Your aunt." Said the woman. "My name is Ingrid. Your mother and I were sisters."

Ingrid was of no blood of mine. Some of us have that relative that we wished never existed, and for so long of my life, I cursed Ingrid's name. She was of no relation to me, just as Gerda was no longer my mother in my eyes at the time.

"You look exactly like her." Said Ingrid to Anna.

I suppose it was meant as a compliment, but that look in her eyes said so much otherwise. She almost said it like some kind of threat to her. Ingrid gave Anna such a piercing stare, I was almost tempted to pull out my flintlock and get her to back off.

"But I don't think I know you." She looked at me.

"This is Asgeir." Said Elsa, putting her hand on my shoulder.

I didn't smile to her. "I'm their half-brother." I said. "Gerda was my mother."

"Well, now. Isn't this just a delight?" She said to me glancing at the lowered hood over my shoulders. "I'd recognize the hood of the Assassins anywhere."

Elsa looked a little surprised. "You know of the Assassins?"

"Arendelle was a kingdom meant for Assassins a long time ago. How long have you been one, Asgeir?"

"My life." I replied, still not smiling. Though Elsa didn't seem to notice my cold shoulder to our aunt. "Daniel Swortssen was my father."

"Daniel." Repeated Ingrid. "Of course." She knew my father. Why didn't that surprise me?

"Pardon me for saying so, Ingrid, but Mother doesn't have a sister." I said. "At least not one that I knew of."

"I'm sure it was too painful for her to talk about." She replied. "You see, many years ago I was trapped in a magical urn by…people who didn't exactly understand me."

Anna didn't see the picture forming in front of her eyes. "Didn't understand you?"

Ingrid replied by opening her palm, another snowflake appearing in it. While she formed it, I focused my Sight. Whatever white reflecting off her figure was gone now, replaced by the deepest shade of blood red.


End file.
